“White land”. Olaf Lubaszenko: Hardly anyone knows about these events. It’s a brilliantly constructed thriller

1998: Poland begins accession negotiations with the European Union, “Young Wolves ½” enter the cinemas, and in the heart of Africa, a team of professionals from Szczecin is doing the biggest business in the history of the Third Republic of Poland. The media are writing about a multi-million contract, about black gold more valuable than coal, and about the Polish industry rising from its knees. But the reality looks different on the spot than in the investor’s prospectus. The miners, exhausted by the heat and mad with vodka, the incredible corruption and the rebels hiding in the bush, and the intelligence agents on the phone …

Olaf Lubaszenko: In April 1998 I lived in a neighborhood that has different connotations today

– Several elements contributed to my interest in this production. It is an interesting plot, a well-constructed thriller, humor that fascinates me, and a character that I have to play – says Olaf Lubaszenko. Tadzik Zborowski, played by him, is a former SB officer. He found himself in Congo for acquaintances. He seems to be the right man in the right place – corruption is no stranger to him. However, everything has an end. And especially Tadzik’s patience …

– The most attractive for me was the possibility of showing it in extreme situations. Both when it is good and cheerful, as well as in extremely dramatic and tense situations – says Lubaszenko. – Besides, he has a certain ailment – he is in quite close relations with a substance with the chemical formula C2H5OH, which gives him a specific feature. It has something dark and good about it. This enables the actor to use a whole range of means of expression.

What was Olaf Lubaszenko himself doing in April 1998, when the action of “White land” was taking place? – Most likely, I lived then in Żoliborz, a district that has various connotations in our modern history. Professionally, as far as I remember, I was between two films by Władysław Pasikowski, “Demons of War” and “Operation Samum”. In the theater, I only played in the musical “Metro”, because my relationship with the theater at that time was not as intense as it is now – recalls the actor.

When working on “White Land”, there were many opportunities to return to the past, if only because one of the heroes – Grzegorz Zachwastcz, a cunning and unpredictable gangster – is played by Mirosław Zbrojewicz, who has collaborated with Olaf Lubaszenka on many occasions. – I don’t want to reveal the kitchen of such productions too much, but it can be different. We record some fragments in solitude, and then the skill of the producer and director allows us to put them together into a coherent whole. Agnieszka Matysiak and Zdzisław Zieliński tried very hard so that we could meet. Mirek and I spent a couple of hours behind the microphones, which always adds to the emotional tension. I hope you will hear it – emphasizes Lubaszenko.

“White Land”, a book by Łukasz Błaszczyk, Paweł Sajewicz and Marek Wełna, has gained a completely new face in the recording studio. Apart from Olaf Lubaszenka and Mirosław Zbrojewicz, the heroes of the novel were played by: Marcin Korcz (as Piotr Rapacki, a young director of a Polish-Congo company), Aleksandra Szwed (as Elodie Kinyama, a doctor with a Polish Academy of Sciences diploma) and Leszek Lichota (as Maks Wagner, ex-military which is to check who is sabotaging the Polish company in Congo). As the narrator of this crazy story, we will hear Arkadiusz Jakubik. .