Hommam Al Nassim 
The Russian film “The Challenge” is the first feature-length cinematic work in human history to be filmed in outer space, specifically on board the International Space Station.
Producer and director Klim Shipenko, and the team, traveled to the International Space Station, 250 miles above the Earth’s surface, alongside veteran Russian astronaut Anton Shkapelrov in October 2021, and the film was filmed over a period of 12 days.
The nominated stars had to undergo medical, psychological and physical tests to ensure their ability to cope with the demands of space travel.
Director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild, who played the title role, traveled to space aboard the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft, and spent 12 days on the International Space Station during the filming of the film.
The scenes filmed in the 230-square-meter Russian space capsule on the International Space Station, and with the participation of three professional Russian astronauts on board the station, gave the film an unprecedented, original character.
The story of the film, which was released last year in cinemas, revolves around Russian astronaut Bogdanov, who suddenly loses consciousness during a mission in space, and after doctors examine him, they decide that it is necessary to perform surgery on him on board a Russian spacecraft outside the planet, and the choice falls on the Russian doctor Zhenya Belyaeva. .
Xenia is hurriedly preparing herself to undertake an unprecedented journey into space to perform this surgery. After she reaches her destination, everything turns into slow motion due to the lack of gravity, and she must face this difficult challenge.
This film is the first feature-length work in history to be actually filmed outside Earth and find its way to cinema screens. No films had been filmed in space before it except a short documentary.
This film is the first feature-length work in history to be actually filmed outside Earth and find its way to cinema screens. No films had been filmed in space before it except a short documentary.
“The Challenge” is the result of cooperation between the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), the Russian official Channel One, and the “Yellow, Black and White” production studio, with a budget of about one billion rubles.
The film was shown in Russia and many countries around the world, and was met with unparalleled acclaim and admiration, as the film moved out of the “sci-fi” classification and entered a more realistic state due to its filming in space.
The film received great Western media attention, as it was linked to the historic space race between Russia and the United States, prompting the media to acknowledge Moscow’s superiority once again.
Russia’s production of this film came at a time when the US “Aeronautics and Space Administration” (NASA) announced that the famous actor Tom Cruise was cooperating with it to film a movie in space, which the United States believed would be the first in this field, before the “challenge” turned the tables. .
Russia has successfully asserted its superiority by becoming the first to send a film crew into space, following in the footsteps of Yuri Gagarin, the first astronaut in 1961.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed this achievement on April 12th of last year, stating, “We are the first to film a feature-length movie aboard a spacecraft in Earth orbit, reaffirming that we are the pioneers.”
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