Trekking to Mars and back had its challenges, says George Mihalka, the seasoned Montreal-based director who helmed the four-part miniseries Race to Mars.

‘I felt like I had a degree in astrophysics by the time preproduction was over,’ the director jokes.

Mihalka emphasizes that the most daunting aspect of Race to Mars – shot entirely in HD on the Sony HDW-F900 by DOP Norayr Kasper – was actually the science aspect.

‘From the beginning, it was understood that this was to be 100 percent accurate, which is odd, because [traveling to Mars] hasn’t actually been done before,’ explains Mihalka. ‘We were making a dramatic re-creation of something that hasn’t happened.’

Mihalka has directed smash hit TV series in Quebec (such as Omerta) and box-office hits Les Boys IV and La Florida. He says that directing this particular project was a challenge made easier by working with some of Canada’s best actors.

Astronauts headed to Mars on this mission include Michael Riley (This Is Wonderland), Claudia Ferri (Mambo Italiano), Lothaire Blutheau (Jesus of Montreal) and Pascale Bussières (Ma vie en cinémascope).

Mihalka and his cast specifically avoided any silly depictions of Mars – there are no little green men to be found anywhere – despite the rather spacey history of the red planet’s big-screen representation. ‘The tone of the acting, the attention to detail – everything had to be very serious,’ Mihalka confirms. ‘We wanted to avoid anything too far-fetched or campy.’