The Russian film "Challenge" /"Challenge" / was shown for the first time in Bulgaria on the eve of Cosmonautics Day. The premier venue was the Russian Cultural and Information Center, where an exhibition dedicated to the work of the International Space Station (ISS) was also shown.
„Today is a very important and solemn day, together with Cosmonautics Day we celebrate 45 years since the flight of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov. His flight with Nikolai Rukavishnikov in April 1979 was very difficult, the equipment failed, but they managed to return safely to the ground, from that moment Ivanov considered these days his second birthday. We planned a gala evening, but for a number of reasons it had to be postponed to a later date. But our Bulgarian viewers will not be disappointed: for the first and only time we will show them the film “The Challenge” - a unique film, a significant part of which was filmed in space”, Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova, who was also present at the premiere, noted in an interview with TASS.
The two halls in which the film was screened simultaneously accommodated more than 400 people;
"The Challenge", directed by Klim Shipenko, is the first feature film shot in space. In the story, a thoracic surgeon was forced to go to the ISS to save the life of an astronaut who had suffered a serious chest injury and needed surgery.
In April 1979, Bulgarian and Soviet cosmonauts Ivanov and Rukavishnikov flew on the Soyuz-33 spacecraft. During the flight, which lasted from April 10 to 12, the main engine was inoperative.
On April 12, Cosmonautics Day, Russian diplomats will take part in the traditional flower-laying ceremony at the monument to Yuri Gagarin in the town of Bankya, in the vicinity of Sofia.