Russia set to send actor, director to International Space Station to shoot a feature film

Russian Space Agency, on May 14, said that it was planning to ferry a film actress and a director to International Space Station (ISS) in a bid to make the world’s first film shot in space. According to a report by The Guardian, the crew is scheduled to begin their expedition on 5 October 2021. It is imperative to note that their departure to the station is planned for the same month as of American film-maker Doug Liman and Actor Tom Cruise, directly implying Russians’ intent to surpass Americans in the ‘space race.

In November 2020, a casting announcement from the Russian space agency said it was searching for “a real superhero to go to the stars … at the same time as becoming a big international star”. In a statement, it specified the demography of the potential candidate. According to ROSCOSMOS, the actress needed to be between 25 and 40 years and a  Russian citizen,  weigh between 50kg and 70kg and have a chest girth of not more than 112 centimetres.

Additionally, "she must be able to run 1km in three and a half minutes or less, swim 800 metres freestyle in 20 minutes, and dive from a 3-metre springboard with an impressive technique,” read the notice. 

Cast and crew

On Thursday it was announced that the actor Yulia Peresild, and the director Klim Shipenko had been chosen. Both will undergo training starting June 1. The training would including centrifuge tests, flights in zero gravity and others that astronauts undergo. This pre-flight boot camp will be documented by one of Russia’s main TV channels, Channel One, which will also be involved in producing the film. Additionally, the space mission would also include a backup crew consisting of actress Alyona Mordovina and camera director Alexey Dudin. 

Meanwhile, Russia has also announced its desire to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow mulls to withdraw from the International Space Station. Moscow which aims to achieve a space victory akin to the Soviet-era has even begun working on the core module of a new station, as confirmed by the Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin. Membership of the ISS is deemed to be one of the very few areas which see active cooperation between Moscow and Washington and a pullout from the same reflects on their worsening ties.

Image: AP/KlimShipenkoFacebook/@space_station/Twitter