So, it is a time of unprecedented things happening all over the world. Everyone seems to be in a race to attempt a world first. But the Russian filmmakers have taken a giant leap and are all set to shoot in outer space. Wow.
The director Klim Shipenko and the actress Yulia Peresild along with the two cosmonauts blasted off for the International Space Station on 5th Oct 2021 to shoot a docudrama. The spacecraft named Soyuz MS-19 left the Baikonur Cosmodrome at Kazakhstan and docked at the ISS station at 12:22 GMT. The spacecraft captain and a veteran cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov switched to manual control from here. This spacecraft orbits the earth at an altitude of 220 miles.
The world has been looking forward to this movie titled “The Challenge” and the ambitious endeavor of the director Shipenko. This is going to be a one-of-a-kind film and a breakthrough step by Russia. Not just the fans but the government is also closely watching the developments. The movie is set to be released in 2022.
According to media critics, this endeavor has been to counter the US space adventures. In the competition to dominate the space, the US, China and Russia have been employing innovative methods to do the world’s first in everything. This effort is also to beat the American actor Tom Cruise in the space race as he also had plans to blast off to space in SpaceX rocket for a Hollywood movie. The title of the movie has not yet been announced, although NASA confirmed the planning and progression to conduct the shooting in space.
The US ambition is, however, backed by multi-millionaire like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. They have been providing spaceships for speeding up the space advances. On the other hand, the Russian film crew will be accompanied by two Russian cosmonauts for this 12-day mission to shoot the scenes. This competition between the US and Russia dates back to the Cold War where the Russian spaceship was the first to reach space however, the US scientists became the first people known for their famous moon-landing. Now this race to reach the space first for filmmaking seems like another war, although this would be much entertaining for the viewers!
The film revolves around a doctor’s (Yulia) quest to save the life of a cosmonaut in space. According to Shipenko, “the story seems interesting, however, the whole picturing is going to grab more attention. We have high hopes”. Interestingly, the ambitious director is already planning a sequel to the movie on Mars.
Movies are among the most popular forms of entertainment for everyone, especially in the post-Covid world. That is why a film with extraordinary efforts will surely hold the attention of the audience. Although China is moving forward in other fields, however, the US and Russia remain in competition in the world of entertainment.
Russia’s space film expedition seems to be already much popular and people are anticipating its release. This has somehow raised the bar for the filmmakers in the future along with the space scientists and their adventures. Let’s wait for the release of “The Challenge” to see what it brings.
