Sean Penn film 'Superpower' catches Zelenskiy at moment of Russian invasion

Director Sean Penn attends a photo call on the red carpet to promote the documentary 'Superpower' at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben

Late in the evening of Feb. 24, 2022, just some 15 hours after Russia triggered its invasion of his country, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy found time to receive American actor Sean Penn.

Sitting in a bare, apparently windowless room, Zelenskiy speculates on Vladimir Putin's motives for the invasion in the central scene of "Superpower", Penn's feature-length profile of the president that premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Friday.