Klim Shipenko

Klim Alekseyevich Shipenko, born on June 16, 1983, in Moscow, is a multifaceted Russian talent known for his work as a director, screenwriter, cinematographer, actor, producer, and even cosmonaut. He has earned the Golden Eagle Award twice for Best Feature Film—first for *Salyut-7* in 2018 and again for *Text* in 2020. His film *Son of a Rich* became one of Russia's biggest box office hits, grossing over 3 billion rubles across the CIS region.

Shipenko's early career began in the United States, where he enrolled at California State University, Northridge, in 2002 to study film production. He gained hands-on experience as an intern on Nancy Meyers' *Something's Gotta Give* and trained at the Sal Dano Professional Actors Workshop. After returning to Moscow in 2004, he briefly worked at Channel One, directing the automotive program *Plantain*.

In 2021, Shipenko made history by filming parts of a science fiction movie aboard the International Space Station. The project, tentatively titled *The Challenge* (2023), marked the first feature-length fiction film shot in space by professional filmmakers. He managed camera, lighting, sound, and makeup while actress Yulia Peresild starred. The equipment traveled via Progress MS-17 and returned on Soyuz MS-18, with assistance from cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Mark Vande Hei. Shipenko's father, Alexey Shipenko, is a noted actor, director, and playwright.