The screening of Blue Planet Outside the Window, China’s first 8K space documentary film, took place at the cinema of Mosfilm Studios in Moscow on the 24th local time. Co-hosted by Russia’s National Media Group, the Chinese Embassy in Russia and the Eurasian Headquarters of China Media Group, the event was attended by around 500 representatives from all walks of life in China and Russia.
Zhang Hanhui, Chinese Ambassador to Russia, delivered a speech stating that Blue Planet Outside the Window was filmed in orbit by the astronauts of Shenzhou-13, embodying years of achievements of China’s manned space program. Through this film, Russian audiences can directly experience the charm of space exploration. The Chinese Embassy in Russia will keep boosting bilateral people-to-people and cultural exchanges and facilitate cooperation between the two countries’ film industries.
Smirnov, Head of the Public Relations and Media Department of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, noted that both Russia and China hold leading positions in aerospace and maintain close cooperation on lunar research stations, deep space exploration and other projects. Every technological breakthrough relies on joint efforts of astronauts and ground researchers. Recording and presenting such endeavors authentically on screen carries inherent value. Russia’s space-shot film The Challenge was previously screened in over 8,000 cinemas across China, and he expressed confidence that Blue Planet Outside the Window will also win favor among Russian viewers.
Baranova, President of Russia’s National Media Group, remarked that the technical standards and production scale of this space film reflect the vision of its producers. The 8K technology immerses audiences as if they were the “fourth astronaut” of Shenzhou-13, joining humanity’s exploration beyond the horizon. While the camera captures the vast starry sky, it conveys heartfelt emotions tied to Earth. Aerospace has long been a key area of Sino-Russian cooperation, and this film translates aerospace achievements into a medium for cultural exchange. She hoped its screening would further advance bilateral cultural dialogue.
Blue Planet Outside the Window is China’s first 8K documentary shot in real space. It was filmed by Shenzhou-13 astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu. The footage presents magnificent cosmic landscapes as well as trivial daily moments of the crew during their six-month orbital stay, the first such long-duration mission. Shot with fully domestically developed 8K ultra-high-definition cameras, the production integrated scientific research, cinematic creation and ground-space coordination, marking an innovative exploration by China’s manned space program in authentic space imaging. The film was released nationwide in China on September 5, 2025.(Outlook New Era)