Two astronauts and two cinema specialists are set to travel to the International Space Station early next month to film the first movie in outer space. Russian filmmakers announced yesterday that a Russian crew, consisting of two astronauts and two cinema specialists, will head to the International Space Station on October 5 aboard the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft. This launch comes just weeks after the first full civilian crew was sent to space using a rocket and capsule developed by SpaceX, adding a competitive element to the ongoing decades-long rivalry in space travel between Russia and the United States.
Actor and director Klim Shipenko said at a press conference before the film crew's departure to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, "This film is about the story of an ordinary person... a doctor who has nothing to do with space exploration and has never thought about it, who is offered to travel to the International Space Station... to save an astronaut's life," according to Reuters. The two professional astronauts in the crew will also appear in the film. Commander astronaut Anton Shkaplerov stated, "I won’t play the leading role, but I still need to learn how to produce a film in an unusual place like outer space." Actress Yulia Peresild mentioned that she learned how to work as a makeup artist and costume designer for herself.
