September 27, 2020

First Artistic Film from Space


First Artistic Film from Space
The International Space Station could be the setting for a new artistic film. Image by NASA via Wikimedia Commons

Roscosmos, Russia’s state space agency, has announced plans to shoot an artistic film about the International Space Station (ISS) from the station itself. The film is tentatively titled Challenge («Вызов»), and some space experts think the project is a call out to Elon Musk.

So far, there is no specific information about when the film will be available to the public, but shooting is planned for fall 2021. The main actor and his understudy will be selected via an open competition, then will head to the ISS via the Soyuz-MS. The film’s director will be Klim Shipenko, and the producers are Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, and Konstantin Ernst, the General Director for Channel One (Первый канал).

While the details for Roscosmos’ project remain unclear, there is some information from NASA and SpaceX as regards their project to shoot a film in space. Back in May, NASA announced that they were working with Tom Cruise to have him act in a film from the ISS itself.

Reactions to Roscosmos’ announcement are mixed. Russian astronaut Sergey Ryazansky commented that Roscosmos is correct that “all means are good” to help popularize space travel in Russia. Former astronaut turned politician Yelena Serova stated that she does not see any difficulties in this project, as even astronauts themselves are used to filming their daily life onboard the ISS.

Yet not everyone is as supportive of the project. Space expert Vadim Lukashevich believes that the film is simply an expression of the director’s jealousy of Elon Musk. Alexander Golubchikov, director of development for Cinema and TV Shows at Salo marketing agency, said he believes the project is simply a PR stunt: “By and large, there is no sense in this, this is purely a PR story. For an actor to fly into space, he must have remarkable health, undergo training at the Cosmonaut Training Center, this is too complicated a story to do a similar project within a year or two.”

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955