Heroes from our yard: how was the premiere of the film about the flight of dogs into orbit?

A series of scientific, educational and entertainment events will be held as part of the first Space Week in Russia. Among them is the secular premiere of a family comedy about the boy Misha and the legendary Squirrel. This event becomes the starting point for a large-scale cultural marathon: from exhibitions and theatrical productions to concerts and film screenings throughout the country. Which of them should not be missed is in the Izvestia article.

Daniil Vorobyov, Kirill Zaitsev and others at the premiere of "My Dog is an astronaut"

"This is how the universe is being stormed for the sake of life on Earth," reads the headline of the Izvestia newspaper, published on August 22, 1960. Her characters, Belka and Strelka, are participants in one of the greatest experiments of the 20th century, which opened the way to space for humans.

"It is difficult for me to convey my feelings when I learned about the safe landing of the Soviet spacecraft. I've been writing about it, fantasizing about it… But now I can clearly see a meadow with yellowed grass, and in the distance there are purple ploughlands.… And in this meadow, as if resting after a tiring journey, a spaceship lies <...> And instead of fictional inhabitants of unknown planets, funny and beloved terrestrial creatures Strelka and Belka jump out of the hatch. They run around the meadow, bark with joy and caress people," recalls one of the notes on the page.

Belka and Strelka became symbols of the beginning of the space age — less than a year later, a human flight into orbit took place. On April 6, in honor of the 65th anniversary, the first Space Week in Russia starts.

The cultural program of the event was opened by the premiere of the film "My Dog is an Astronaut" directed by Mikhail Morskov. In the center of the plot is a ten—year-old boy Misha, obsessed with dreams of heaven. In 1960, on his birthday, he finds a stray dog and names it Squirrel. Gradually, the story of personal friendship grows to a national scale: it is his pet that is connected with the animal flight training program. The screening of the family film took place on April 6 at the October cinema and gathered the stars of the film industry.

— Our film is artistic, but based on real events. It is made for adults, and mainly for the younger generation, to inspire young people to become interested. I asked one girl what day April 12th was. She thought about it, and they told her that it was Cosmonautics Day. Maybe, after all, this film will encourage someone to learn the story of Belka and Strelka, the first man in space, and Korolev's achievements. The story of our cosmonautics is our pride," said actor Kirill Zaitsev, who played Misha's father.

Actors Daniil Vorobyov and Pavel Vorozhtsov were also among the stars of the red carpet. Screenwriter Andrey Zolotarev came to support his colleagues.

A special guest was a dog named Nek, who played a Squirrel. This is not a debut for him — the four-legged actor, for example, starred in the recent "The Wizard of Oz". The viewer will find out how the Squirrel in his performance mastered space on April 9 — the film will be released in wide distribution.

A doc about Gagarin, a concert in the Kremlin and a musical cosmorave

The cultural program of the upcoming week promises to be intense. On Wednesday, April 8, the exhibition "People of Space" opens at Mosfilm. Roscosmos photographers Artyom Pylaev and Ivan Timoshenko offer a look at the industry without the usual romanticization. In the frame are engineers working on drawings, operators of the Mission Control Center, workers in workshops, astronauts in training. Tymoshenko himself participated in the preparation and launch of 158 rockets, sent dozens of crews beyond the Earth and took hundreds of thousands of pictures of what is usually hidden from outsiders. His work is complemented by photographs of Pylaev, who focuses primarily on people — their involvement, concentration and fatigue.

According to the authors, the viewer should see the industry without pathos and understand that behind every achievement there is the most difficult work of thousands of specialists.

On April 9, the main focus will be on the film program. On this day, 300 cinemas across Russia will host free screenings of the documentary film Gagarin. Embracing the world." The film is based on the chronicle of the cosmonaut's world tour after the historic flight, his live voice during performances, as well as interviews with his family, cosmonaut pilots and residents of different countries. From a conversation with Gagarin's eldest daughter Elena, viewers will learn how Yuri was in the family and how they spent their free time. Many archive footage is being shown for the first time.

Which one: Alexander Petrov revived the space pirate

Izvestia's report from the set of the spin-off "One hundred years ahead"

On April 10, the audio-visual show "The First in Space. Cosmo Night" at VK Stadium. The stage will transform into a spaceport, the audience will become part of the crew, and the music will be the engine of this journey. Artik & Asti, Hannah, DJ Smash, Mary Gu, Filatov & Karas, Bearwolf, Bianca and HollyFlame will perform in front of the audience. Musical numbers will reflect the key stages of space exploration — from the first discoveries to modern missions.

The main holiday of the week will be held on Cosmonautics Day, April 12. A solemn concert and an award ceremony for employees of the rocket and space industry will be held at the State Kremlin Palace. Alexandra Pakhmutova, Polina Gagarina, Valeria, Pelageya, Jony, Yulia Savicheva, Dmitry Malikov, Grigory Leps and others will perform on stage. Guests can enjoy multimedia and light performances, as well as performances by circus performers.

In addition, themed performances will be held at various cultural venues throughout the week. At the Yaroslavl Drama Theater named after Fyodor Volkov's production "Tsiolkovsky" based on the works of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the founder of theoretical cosmonautics, will be presented to the audience. The Ryazan Regional Puppet Theater will show the play "Jura" directed by Anna Koonen, dedicated to the childhood of Yuri Gagarin. The Moscow Pushkin Theatre will present the play Cosmos by Igor Teplov starring Victoria Isakova. The actress plays provincial teacher Tatiana, who accidentally meets her first love— the now famous cosmonaut pilot.

Space Week will be held from April 6 to April 12. On December 29, 2025, the President of Russia signed a decree on its annual holding. The organizer is the Roscosmos State Corporation.