White Sail on the Pripyat
( Bialy Zagiel nad Prypecia )

Uladzimir Kolas
2009 - 54 min - HDV - Couleur - Pologne

English summary
Jauhien Szatochin is well-known all over Belarus as the owner of an unusual yacht, which he made by converting an old military rescue boat way back in the times of the Soviet Union. Each summer, he sets off on a voyage, which he documents with paintings. These are then exhibited in wintertime.
This time he ventures through territory he has never before the courage to enter; the zone closed after the Chernobyl explosion in 1986. His trip has been provoked by the Belarusian authorities who are planning to build a nuclear power plant in Belarus. Is such a power plant going to guarantee the independence of Belarus in terms of energy supplies? Isn’t the price of this guarantee going to exceed the one the Belarussians paid during the Soviet era? Where is Belarus and the world heading? Where is this world, in which we consume so much, leading us? These are just some of the questions, which arise.