Sean Penn documented his travels to Haiti in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rocked the country in 2010 to be revealed in the Discovery+ documentary Citizen Penn premiering on May 6.
“From climate to conflict resolution, to poverty and COVID-19, citizenship increasingly requires service. Service itself can be a bumpy road, but one we all have to travel,” Penn, whose humanitarian efforts through his organization CORE have continued on the island a decade later, said in a statement.
“[Director] Don Hardy traveled it with CORE (JP/HRO) for over a decade, and I hope his insightful filmmaking will find some form of inspiration for those who watch it. He shows the good, the bad, and the ugly,” he continued.
Roughly 300,000 people lost their lives during the catastrophic event while hundreds of thousands were injured and 1.5 million were left homeless. Over a decade later, the country still has not recovered.
The documentary will feature the original song “Eden (To Find Love)” performed by Bono, who co-wrote the track alongside the film’s composer Linda Perry.
The two-time Academy Award-winning actor was already affecting change prior to the disaster. In 2005, Penn headed to New Orleans to aid in search and rescue efforts amid the mass destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
Since his journey to Haiti, Penn has been a constant on the island through his organization, which also expanded its reach in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. CORE helped organize free testing sites across the country and is running the nation’s largest vaccine site in Los Angeles.
Watch the trailer for the documentary above.
