After First Movie In Space, Russian Filmmaker Wants To Shoot Next Film On Mars Or Moon

Russian film director Klim Shipenko and actor Yulia Peresild has just returned to Earth after shooting the first feature film in space

Actor Yulia Peresild, who plays a doctor in 'The Challenge' film shot in space | Photo: Twitter/@Roscosmos

New Delhi: Russian film director Klim Shipenko recently returned to Earth from the International Space Station after filming "The Challenge", the first feature film to be shot in space. His space-faring ambitions appear to be even higher, as he aspires to film his next movie in other locations of space. 

Shipenko said on Tuesday that he was willing to make a movie on the Moon or even on Mars, Reuters reported. He and 'The Challenge' actor Yulia Peresild returned to Earth on Sunday after spending 12 days on the ISS.

After landing in Kazakhstan, they are undergoing rehabilitation in the Star City space training center near Moscow. 

They addressed an online news conference on Tuesday where Shipenko said the Russian film crew filmed more than 30 hours of material aboard the ISS, and 30 minutes of that will be included in the final film. 

'Vyzov', or ‘The Challenge’, is based on the life of a woman doctor who goes to space to save a cosmonaut's life. 

The crew faced a number of setbacks during their mission, including the failure of their spacecraft to dock automatically on to the ISS, and the orbital laboratory rotating by 57 degrees on Friday.

‘Why should cinema be filmed in a studio’

When asked about a possible Moon sequel at the conference, Shipenko said: "We're ready. We believe space cinema should be filmed in space. If it's about the Moon, let's go to the Moon, if it's Mars, let's go to Mars." He added, "Why not? Why should cinema be filmed in a studio?"

Describing her experience of filming in space, Peresild said at the conference: "Every second was a big discovery."

Other crew members aboard the ISS had participated in the filming process, the Reuters report said, quoting Shipenko. They contributed their own "organic" dialogue, and even held Shipenko by the feet so that he did not bump into things on the station, the director said. 

He said he was fascinated by the experience of filming in space, as people can be oriented in any direction, and the camera can be on any plane. He added that it was a cinematic discovery for him, to realise scenes in a completely different way in three or four planes. 

The director mentioned that work on "The Challenge" would continue until the end of 2022, and that the release date had not been decided.

"I think if the film goes out at a world level it will pay for its budget, and the task of this film was to do that," he said at the conference.

Russian Space Agency Roscosmos has beaten America in the race to shoot the first film in space. NASA had last year announced plans by actor Tom Cruise to film on the ISS.