Out of the Present

Out of the Present is a 1995 documentary film by Andrei Ujică that deals with the prolonged stay of the Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev at space station Mir. This was the first time a 35 mm film camera was used in space.^[1]

Out of the Present
Directed by	Andrei Ujică
Written by	Andrei Ujică
Produced by	Elke Peters
Starring	Sergei Krikalev Anatoly Artsebarsky Alexander Volkov
Cinematography	Vadim Yusov
Edited by	Ralf Henninger Heidi Leihbecher
Distributed by	Real Fiction Filmverleih (Köln)
Release date	1995 (1995)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Germany

Synopsis

The film begins with the May 1991 docking of Soyuz TM-12 at the station. For 92 minutes (the time for one Earth-orbit of the station) the routine of a long-term space station crew is shown, frequently interrupted by panoramic Earth views in addition to observing the day-to-day activities of eating, exercising and conducting experiments in weightlessness. Krikalev was a bystander to the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt and the collapse of the Soviet Union during his 10-month stay.^[2]

The arrival of Soyuz TM-13 is a highlight, while the station was crowded with five cosmonauts for a week. Due to the then-current political situation in Kazakhstan, a Kazakh cosmonaut, Toktar Aubakirov, had been selected for this mission. Without long-term training he was unable to relieve Krikalev, who therefore had to stay another six months at the station. Finally, Krikalev is shown back on Earth, resting on a couch after more than 300 days in zero gravity.

Production

The filming was handled mainly by the long-term crews of the Mir. It is said that simply transporting the film camera used up roughly half of the film's budget.