China's first documentary filmed entirely in space to debut in September

The first documentary shot aboard China's space station will debut in theaters nationwide on Sept. 5, distributors announced Tuesday.

An IMAX poster for "Shenzhou 13." [Image courtesy of IMAX China]

"Shenzhou 13" was filmed in outer space by the crew of the Shenzhou-13 mission. The main footage was captured onboard China's Tiangong space station by astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, who served as cinematographers.

Directed by Zhu Yiran of the Film, Drama and Documentary Programming Center of China Media Group (CMG), the documentary follows the Shenzhou-13 crew's six-month orbital mission.

The film was shot inside China's space station using new filming techniques, providing previously unseen views of space and details of life in orbit. The documentary is told from astronaut Wang's perspective through collaboration between the astronaut crew and Earth-based production teams.

The production used a domestically made 8K ultra-high-definition camera. CMG worked with aerospace researchers to integrate the specialized equipment — capable of 8K resolution at 50 frames per second — overcoming challenges including rocket vibration tests, space environment testing and power and storage requirements aboard the station.

The filming equipment was transported to China's space station in 2021 via the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft.