Sean Penn is in Kiev, Ukraine, to shoot a documentary about the Russian-led invasion, the Ukrainian presidency announced Thursday.
The American actor and director was photographed among attendees of a government press conference in Kyiv and can be seen meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video posted on the Ukrainian head of state's Instagram account.
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“The director came to Kyiv specifically to record all the events unfolding in Ukraine and as a documentary filmmaker to tell the world the truth about Russia's invasion of our country
,” says a message written in Ukrainian on the page. Presidential Services Facebook.
It is specified that the American artist shows a courage
“which is lacking in many others, particularly Western politicians”
.
“
Today, Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine by being in Ukraine.
Our country is grateful to him for such a display of courage and honesty.
”
Message published on the Ukrainian presidential Facebook account
Sean Penn had already visited Ukraine in November and had met with the military.
As Variety
reports ,
the actor began preparing for his documentary when he met the country's military.
Photos of the actor were published at the time by the press service of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation.
The 61-year-old actor with two Oscars - for
Harvey Milk
and
Mystic River
- is shooting a documentary for Vice Studios, according to
NBC News
.
Asked by AFP, neither Vice nor Sean Penn's representatives reacted.
His visit to Kiev coincides with the launch by the Russian army of a large-scale military operation in Ukrainian territory, with the firing of shells and missiles near many towns in the country, with fighting at the gates of the capital.
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Sean Penn has in the past caused controversy with his political engagements or in hot topics, especially after his interview with Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman while he was on the run.
The actor has also been at the center of numerous anti-war and humanitarian operations.
The 2020 documentary
Citizen Penn
follows the actor in the creation of the non-profit organization Community Organized Relief Effort (Core) in response to the earthquakes in Haiti on January 12, 2010. Core also deployed teams to perform tests and vaccines across the United States.