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Hollywood Actor Sean Penn Visits Dovzhenko Film Studio During Trip to Ukraine
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
American actor and director Sean Penn visited the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio in Kyiv, the studio said in a Facebook post on March 21.
Penn toured the studio together with Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Olena Kovalska.
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During the visit, he saw what the studio described as the largest film pavilion in Europe, as well as the Oleksandr Dovzhenko museum and garden located on the studio grounds.
According to the studio, the actor spoke with staff about filmmaking, the war, and the future of Ukrainian cinema.
“We felt the support, talked about cinema, Ukrainian cinema, the war, and Ukraine,” studio employees said after the meeting.
The film studio said Penn praised the site’s potential but noted that Russia’s full-scale invasion is preventing it from operating at full capacity.
On March 16, Sean Penn arrived in Kyiv, missing the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, where he was honored with his third Oscar, according to several Ukrainian media reports.
Following his arrival, Penn met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked the actor for his continued support for Ukraine.
“Thanks to you, Sean, we know what it means to be a true friend of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. And today as well. And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people.”
During earlier visits, Penn traveled not only to Kyiv but also to Bucha and Irpin, where he filmed the consequences of Russian attacks while working on his documentary project.
The actor has also remained involved in Ukrainian cultural initiatives, most recently taking part in the anthology film War Through the Eyes of Animals. Sean Penn joined the production for a symbolic fee of one dollar, the film’s producer Oleh Kokhan said in an interview with Suspilne Culture.
According to Kokhan, Penn agreed to appear in the project after reading the script, reviewing the filmed footage, and meeting with director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi. Because of Screen Actors Guild regulations, he was not allowed to work completely without pay, so the compensation was set at the minimum symbolic amount.
War Through the Eyes of Animals consists of seven short films by seven Ukrainian directors, each based on real stories about rescuing animals during the war. Penn appears in the segment titled The Eagle.
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