There are plenty of people that like to make Sean Penn the butt of jokes about how Hollywood stars like to insert themselves into political arguments. The iconic actor has spent years being very outspoken about his views, which definitely can rub people the wrong way. However, as seen in the new documentary, “Citizen Penn,” the actor is also someone that doesn’t just talk about doing the right thing, he’s willing to devote his life to making it happen.
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As seen in the trailer for “Citizen Penn,” the doc follows the story of Sean Penn’s decade-long project to help rebuild Haiti after a devastating earthquake destroyed much of the nation’s infrastructure and took so many lives back in 2010. From coordinating efforts to bring relief to the people to running a camp filled with 50,000 people looking for help, Penn says he was only doing what he could to help bring aid to a country that needed it.
“Citizen Penn” is directed by Don Hardy. But perhaps even more interesting than that is the fact that the music for the film is written by award-winning composer Linda Perry. And the documentary features a brand-new song performed by legendary rock singer Bono. I guess it helps when you’re Sean Penn and you have some pretty famous friends, huh?
“Citizen Penn” debuts on Discovery+ on May 6. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
CITIZEN PENN chronicles the moment Penn and his team of volunteers landed in Haiti, just days after the earthquake struck, and the ten years since. The film offers viewers an intimate, honest, and self-reflective look into the triumphs and challenges of those who decided to do something. For Penn, Haiti changed his life. He went there for what he thought was a two-week aid mission to drop off supplies, help doctors provide immediate medical care, and then get out and get back to his normal life. Instead, he stayed and created an organization called J/P HRO (now CORE) that took over management duties for the largest camp for displaced people in the entire country. Over the past few years, CORE has expanded its efforts across the United States, most recently organizing free COVID-19 testing sites across the country and running the nation’s largest vaccination site at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. CITIZEN PENN highlights the team and their current projects in the U.S.