The promotional video of China's first space documentary, an 8K film shot by astronauts aboard the country's Tiangong space station during a 6-month mission, was screened at the Glion Human Rights Dialogue in Switzerland on Thursday.
The 90-minute film, titled "Shenzhou-13" or "Blue Planet Outside the Window," provides a look at daily life and experiments in orbit through the eyes of Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu -- crew members of the Shenzhou-13 mission.
Largely told by Wang, the country's first female astronaut to venture on a mission to the Tiangong space station and perform a spacewalk, the documentary offers unprecedented, spectacular views of Earth from about 400 kilometers above and gives intimate glimpses into life aboard the space station. It premiered in China in August and had its overseas debut in London in September.
During the Glion Human Rights Dialogue, representatives from over 50 countries, officials from the United Nations (UN) and international organizations, as well as members of various social organizations watched the promotional video of the Chinese space documentary.
"I was just so much taken back by seeing those incredible pictures from space and with the female perspective and her eyes on it. It was, I think really bringing so much curiosity and questions. And really, I think opened all our minds," said Sofia Calltorp, director of UN Women in Geneva and UN Women's Chief of Humanitarian Action, told China Central Television after watching the film.
"I think it's important to showcase that really women can be in different spheres of life and can contribute substantively on an equal footing with men. It's good to bring good stories into the narrative because this can give young girls a lot of hope. And it can empower young girls that they can also aspire to one day be part of a space voyage in their country or wherever," said Anita Pipan, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Shenzhou-13 mission sent three astronauts to China's space station core module on Oct. 16, 2021, and returned to Earth on April 16, 2022.
An annual high-level retreat hosted by the governments of Norway and Switzerland, the Glion Human Rights Dialogue brings together dozens of senior policymakers and other stakeholders in an informal, non-attributable setting designed to promote open, forward-looking and solutions-focused debate.
China's space-filmed movie impresses int'l attendees at Glion Human Rights Dialogue
China's space-filmed movie impresses int'l attendees at Glion Human Rights Dialogue
