On a mission to make the world’s first movie in space, a Russian actor and a film director have rocketed into space.
On Tuesday, astronaut Anton Shkaplerov, a veteran of three space missions, and actors Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko launched for the International Space Station (ISS).
Peresild and Klimenko will star in Challenge, a new film in which Peresild plays a surgeon who goes to the space station to assist a crew member with a cardiac issue.
They will return to Earth alongside another Russian astronaut after 12 days on the space station.
Peresild described space as “alluring, friendly, and devoid of boundaries.”
Chipenko, who will control the camera, make-up, and lighting in the limited space of the Russian part of the ISS, described this first feature film in space as an “experiment.”
“I have no one to turn to for help. I don’t have any cameramen to question about shooting in the window light,” he explained
Russia is attempting to gain an advantage over its rival, the United States, in a less-explored aspect of the space race: space movie production.
Last year, the Russian agency abruptly unveiled its film project after it was announced that Tom Cruise, the star of the “Mission Impossible” franchise, would be filming aboard the International Space Station.
Russia’s space sector has been plagued by delays, accidents, and corruption scandals in recent years, while private companies backed by billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have constructed new spaceships.
The rocket was launched from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome, which is located on Kazakhstan’s steppes.
