“We shot for two months in kyiv. Now it’s a painful memory”
What was the starting point of the series?
Stéphane Pannetier and Julien Vanlerenberghe (authors of the series): “Initially, we wanted to make a series on the big gap in French Guiana in Kourou between the launch pad of the Ariane rocket, which represents science, and the surrounding Amazonian villages, which represent tradition, spirituality. This clash of cultures intrigued us. But we finally chose to place the plot at the Russian firing point in Baikonur, in Kazakhstan, and to shoot in Kazakhstan, for several reasons: because there is also this confrontation between science and mysticism, because these are landscapes still uncommon in the world of series, but also because it was still the only starting point for manned spaceflight until SpaceX. Industrial and political tensions allowed us to take the story to the next level. And then the current situation in Ukraine reminds us that Cold War fantasies may not be so unreal…”
“Infiniti” was also partly shot in Ukraine?
Céline Sallette (main actress of the series): “We shot for two months in kyiv. Now it’s a painful memory because we met fabulous people, and to imagine them fighting for their lives or fleeing their country, it’s hard.
Thierry Poiraud (director of the series): “Over there, there was an extremely competent film industry. We were able to reconstruct the ISS. Obviously this know-how is taking a back seat now. We try to keep in touch with the members of the team present on site, but it’s complicated. »
“Infiniti” explores, through the character of Anna, the question of destiny. How did you approach it?
Celine Sallette: “Even though she is an astronaut, Anna is very close to us because she asks herself the same questions: what if I had succeeded? and if I had missed? In the end, it gives two branches to explore, and it’s exciting, because his journey in space will also become a journey in itself.