Aaron Kaufman, the Emmy-winning director, writer, and producer behind “Superpower” and more, died Thursday in Las Vegas of an apparent heart attack, producer Chad Verdi confirmed to TheWrap. Kaufman was 51 years old.
Kaufman was best known for co-directing the documentary “Superpower” with Sean Penn. “Superpower” followed the rise of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the beginnings of the country’s war with Russia.
Kaufman was on the ground in Ukraine when the invasion began in 2022, and the war became a major concern of his in the weeks and months that followed. As he explained in an op-ed for Newsweek, he’d spent 7 weeks in the country and was still mispronouncing Kiev, a city he described as “busy, bustling, and full of energy” despite his expectations.
The country’s people were on the brink of fully embracing democracy, he added, and “had a common purpose, and it was creating real, tangible, beautiful results.” This, he continued, was a driving factor in Putin’s decision to invade. “Vladimir Putin knew that a successful democracy on his border could crack the empire he was clinging to. Ukrainians remained stoic, but began to prepare,” Kaufman continued.
Much to his disappointment, American unity around the issue of Ukraine didn’t last long. “Ukraine is not just a national interest for the United States, it is the United States–or at least a fledgling version trying its best to grow up. We simply cannot ignore this. If we do, we have lost all sense of who we were, who we are, and who we will become,” Kaufman also wrote.
“Superpower” wasn’t meant to document a war — the project originally intended to tell Zelenskyy’s story as he transitioned from working as a comedian to leading a nation. Kaufman and Penn debuted the documentary on YouTube for free in July.
At the time of his death Kaufman had several other projects on the table, including a documentary about the life of Hawaiian musician Don Ho.
Kaufman is survived by his three children, his mother, and his two siblings.
This news was first reported by Variety.
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