A few months ago Sean Penn gave Volodomyr Zelenskyy one of his Oscars and even offered to have it melted down by Ukraine’s President – saying his gift was inspired by his “continuing shame towards the Motion Picture Academy.”
“The Oscar is there in his office, and ready to be melted any time he wants to melt it.
He called the gift of the statuette “a small gesture, symbolic between two friends – inspired by my continuing shame towards the leadership of the Motion Picture Academy in choosing to present Will Smith smacking Chris Rock rather than the greatest symbol of cinema and humanity living today. Their loss.”
Penn’s beef with the Academy has to do with their refusal to invite Zelenskyy to appear at the 2022 Oscars, saying at the time: “There is nothing greater that the Academy Awards could do than to give him that opportunity to talk to all of us… It is my understanding that a decision has been made not to do it.”
Zelenskyy was invited to have a pre-recorded speech at every other big film event including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and the Golden Globes. Bo word yet on if the Oscars will invite him for next month’s ceremony.
Penn gave one of his two Best Actor Oscars to Zelenskyy last year after the pair became friends during the filming of the documentary “Superpower”. The actor has visited Ukraine at least a dozen times since the war with Russia begun on February 24th, 2022.
No word yet on which Oscar statuette Penn gave to Voldemort. He won one in 2004 for “Mystic River” and again in 2009 for “Milk.” If I were Penn, I would choose to burn the “Milk” Oscar since Mickey Rourke actually deserved to win that year for “The Wrestler.”
Penn is currently at the Berlin Film Festival promoting his Zelensky documentary “Superpower.”
“Hope,” Na’s first film in ten years — his last one being the exemplary “The Wailing” —is a gloriously messy, blood-soaked sci-fi epic that may become a cult classic despite—or because of—its polarizing nature.