Russia releases trailer for first feature film to be shot in space

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New Delhi. Russia has released the trailer for the first feature film to be shot in space. The film ‘The Challenge’ was shot on the International Space Station (ISS) over the course of 12 days in 2021. It is about a female cardiac surgeon, Zhenya (played by Russian actress Yulia Peresild), who is part of a team of doctors. He is sent to work with a cosmonaut (played by cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky) who loses consciousness on the orbital station.

The film is a joint project of Roscosmos, Russia’s Channel One and Yellow, Black and White Studios. The film also stars Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov.

In all, about 35-40 minutes of the film’s screen time is to be shot in orbit.

‘The Challenge’ will release on April 12.

According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, “the film aims to popularize Russia’s space activities, as well as glorify the cosmonaut profession.”

NASA said at the time of filming that it marks an expansion of commercial space opportunities for feature film production.

Roscosmos first announced the film project in November 2020 and Peresild, 37, was cast in the role.

Peresild and producer-director Klim Shipenko traveled to the ISS in October 2021 with veteran Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and filmed the film over the course of 12 days.

Although ‘The Challenge’ is the first feature-length film to be shot in space, it is not the first project to be filmed on the ISS.

Previously, Soviet-era cosmonauts filmed inside the Salyut 7 space station aboard the Soyuz T-9 and for the 1984 Russian narrative film Return from Orbit.

Twenty-four years later, privately funded astronaut Richard Garriott shot Apogee of Fear, a short science fiction film set on the ISS.

The list also includes the 2002 IMAX documentary by Tom Cruise, as well as the 2012 eight-minute science fiction film by entrepreneur and space tourist Richard Garriott.

In 2020, Cruise revealed plans to travel to the ISS with director Doug Liman to shoot a feature film in collaboration with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and NASA.(IANS)

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