Putin is happy
Russian space film trumps Tom Cruise
04/21/2023, 12:35 am
Who will make the first film in space? On this issue, Russia and the USA are engaged in a race – which Moscow is now winning. President Putin celebrates the premiere as a great success for his country.
The first film shot in space has premiered in Russia. To Moscow’s delight, the Russian project, titled The Challenge, preempted a US film venture starring Tom Cruise. The film is about a surgeon who is sent to the International Space Station to operate on an injured cosmonaut. The main role will be played by the Russian star actress Julia Peressild, who spent a total of twelve days filming on the ISS together with director Klim Schipenko in October 2021.
At a gala last week in the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the film as a great success. “We are the first to shoot a film in orbit, on board a spacecraft. Once again, we are the first,” he said, referring to previous space successes.
Roscosmos announced the project after NASA announced plans to film the Mission Impossible action film series with Hollywood star Cruise on the ISS. The race for the first film was somewhat reminiscent of the Cold War between Moscow and Washington.
The former Soviet Union was often a pioneer in space travel. Among other achievements, she sent the first dog, the first man and the first woman into space before being overtaken by the US on the first man on the moon. In recent years, however, Russian space travel has had to contend with a number of mishaps and setbacks.
