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Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Balandin and American astronaut Alvin Drew address the audience at the film festival opening ceremony. Photo by Yuriy Maltsev.
Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Balandin and American astronaut Alvin Drew address the audience at the film festival opening ceremony. Photo by Yuriy Maltsev.
Have the Americans Ever Stepped on the Moon?
The question was asked dozens of times to the participants of the “Alternative Cinema: Space“program within the 7th Vladivostok International Film Festival “Pacific Meridian.” In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing, on September 19-25, American astronaut Alvin Drew, Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Balandin, Senior Curator of the Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute Roger Launius, and famous Russian musician Aleksandr F. Sklyar introduced the special “films on space” program within the festival. As the guests of honor, the American astronaut and the Russian cosmonaut, accompanied by a video of actual astronauts currently in the international space station, opened the 7th Vladivostok International Film Festival by welcoming over 2000 guests and participants from all over the world. In their remarks, both the astronaut and the cosmonaut stressed the crucial meaning of cooperation - very necessary in the implementation of the joint space program currently in place. During their stay in Vladivostok, the space heroes of the festival met with various audiences including over one thousand teenagers from all over Russia attending the exclusive recreational center Ocean, students of the local universities, and the general public who came to watch the movies in local theaters. At all their meetings the guests discussed various aspects of space exploration and openly shared their experiences and views on a variety of issues. Also, a photo exhibit “That’s One Small Step for Man” from NASA archives was displayed to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing. Overall, the key message of the space program participants was that common human values unite mankind, despite political and cultural differences, which when overcome, will help us reach the stars.