about the project
MONOLITH is a feature length creative documentary project about the energy grid in Ukraine and the heroic efforts of Ukrainian energy professionals to keep it alive and plan for the future as it undergoes brutal wartime destruction.
Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia has undertaken an under reported campaign of systematic destruction of Ukraine’s energy grid in a cruel attempt to make the country uninhabitable and break the Ukrainian people’s resolve. Despite this, Ukrainians continue to resist and fight against this brutality. Ukraine’s electricians, businesses, and everyday citizens are demonstrating remarkable resilience and innovation, adapting to this harsh reality. Meanwhile, the country’s energy sector is planning ahead for a post-war future, presenting unique opportunities to develop a more efficient, decentralized, and sustainable system.
In addition to festival and broadcast distribution to reach a broad general audience across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Ukraine, the film’s key goal will be to reach influential decision makers, investors, and public officials across the West. By organizing screenings at conferences, summits, and industry/professional events, the intention is to inform and inspire individuals who operate on an institutional level of business and international relations. This will enhance public understanding of Ukraine’s energy sector, the reality of supporting it under siege, and the country’s future potential on the world stage.
story and characters
The film will be structured around four to five central characters, each operating in a different but related sphere. We will follow them throughout their lives and work to build a holistic picture of the subject through their experiences. In between their stories, the film will periodically “zoom out” and present broader context through interviews with experts, industry representatives, and public figures.
SERHII
Serhii is an electrical engineer and shift supervisor of the boiler-turbine department at a major thermal power plant. Following in the footsteps of his father who helped build and worked at the same plant, Serhii is committed to his duty of keeping the lights on in the country and has survived numerous Russian airstrikes on the station. He lives in a small city with his wife and two sons and crafts sculptures out of metal and glass in his garage in his spare time.
YULIANA
Yuliana is an industry veteran and renewables expert with a professional background in the energy sector as a lawyer and international relations official. After the outbreak of the war, having already spearheaded the construction of a solar farm, Yuliana established the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation to finance and install solar panels on hospitals and schools across the country. She regularly travels to attend industry events across Europe and is dedicated to progressing the clean energy transition in Ukraine.
YURI
Yuri is the mayor of Slavutych, Ukraine’s youngest city and a “laboratory” for innovative energy and urban solutions in the country. Purpose-built in 1986 for the evacuees of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, Slavutych is home to countless nuclear and energy professionals and their families. In early 2022, the city was briefly under Russian occupation and completely cut off from the rest of the country, and Yuri himself was taken hostage by Russian forces. He is committed to Slavutych’s mission of reaching energy independence and becoming a model city of the future.
We are continuing our search and selection of additional key characters for the film. This section will be updated as new heroes are selected and confirmed. Additionally, a variety of experts have made themselves available for interviews to be used throughout the film.
artistic intention
The central artistic thesis of the film is to portray the electric grid as a living, breathing organism that is intimately connected to all human life as it literally brings light into our lives and powers our civilization. These facilities are not simply infrastructure, but monolithic machine beings who exist around us, fulfilling their silent but critical purpose, and connected by a nervous system of transmission lines and substations. Ukrainian electricians, engineers, and other industry professionals are the custodians and caretakers of these structures, who often risk and sometimes even sacrifice their lives to heal them and return the power of light to Ukraine in the face of the targeted campaign to destroy this vast organism.
cinematic approach
Under the cinematic supervision of Tanya Dudnik, the film will be visually designed to express the colossal scale of this system and the structures that power it. Similarly, it will also explore the relationship between light and darkness as a powerful visual motif and a greater metaphor for the war. The film will be a slow burn, building tension and atmosphere with contemplative musical and character sequences. Cities and key locations will be personified as characters that live and breathe themselves, each with their own voice and story. The human heroes we follow will each have an intimate connection to the energy system, as all Ukrainians do, and their stories of resilience, sacrifice, and dedication will drive the narrative.
music and sound
These images will be supported by an original score combining emotive neo-classical themes (Katharine Petkovski) and deep, haunting electronic soundscapes (Patrick Haggart). Synthesizers from both Ukraine and Russia will be employed to signify the battle between the two countries, and the sound will be designed to give voice to the massive facilities that power the nation and evoke a sense of awe and wonder at their might. Traditional Ukrainian polyphonic vocals will be incorporated throughout the score, recorded by the Montreal-based duo Murmurosi. The sonic dimension will be a crucial element of the experience and be intimately incorporated into every scene and image on screen.
about the filmmaker
EDUARD AKSELRUD
DIRECTOR & EDITOR
EDUARD AKSELRUD is an award-winning Ukrainian-American-Canadian documentary filmmaker and editor. His career has been distinguished by his unique capacity to absorb and distill large and complex topics into cohesive, engaging, and inspiring films. With an emotive, musically oriented editorial style, his surprising approach is informed by his background as a trailer editor in the TV industry. Working with networks such as HBO, Amazon, FX, and many others, he honed an exceptional ability to capture and hold a viewer’s attention before transitioning to documentary work. Akselrud intends to use his skills and experience to contribute to the public perception of Ukraine’s fight and potential, and inspire public officials and industry professionals to get involved in its future.
production team
The MONOLITH team is composed of talented and passionate individuals dedicated to bringing this story to life. Our Ukraine unit includes veterans of the Ukrainian film and commercial industry with extensive experience in wartime documentary production. The film will be dedicated to our lead producer Mykola Ponych, who tragically passed away in May of 2025 after a difficult battle with cancer.
production outline
MONOLITH will be narratively structured along several key chapters representing different aspects and challenges of Ukraine’s energy sector. While not every relevant topic can be fully explored, the project will aim to touch on the most important elements of the grid and build a holistic picture of the vast organism that is the Ukrainian energy system.
The structure of the film is undergoing continued development and is subject to change.
I. THERMAL POWER AND COAL
PARTIALLY COMPLETED | POST-PRODUCTION
The introductory chapter focuses on the historic thermal power stations, constructed across Ukraine during the Soviet Union. These massive stations have undergone extensive destruction under Russian strikes, but continue to serve a crucial purpose in supporting Ukraine’s energy needs.
II. TRANSMISSION NETWORK
IN PRE-PRODUCTION
Ukraine’s massive network of transmission lines and substations has likewise undergone significant damage. Despite this, it has been successfully synchronized with the European system in the first weeks of the war, and continues to deliver power to customers. Repair brigades travel across the country to restore downed lines, and grid operators contend with the challenge of balancing the diverse system.
III. WESTERN AID AND COLLABORATION
IN PRE-PRODUCTION
Alongside the heroic efforts to keep the grid running, Ukraine owes much to the support of its partners. Complex logistical operations have been conducted to finance, source, and deliver equipment and parts for damaged infrastructure from all over the world. Meanwhile, the international community looks towards the future prospects of rebuilding and modernizing Ukraine’s grid.
IV. NUCLEAR ENERGY AND HYDRO POWER
IN PRE-PRODUCTION
Despite the colossal Chornobyl disaster in 1986, Ukraine still operates a major network of nuclear power plants. The largest plant in Europe, Zaporizhizhia, has been occupied by Russian forces and nearly cut off from backup power on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, the Dnipro river powers a number of dams, and the Kakhovka Dam was brutally destroyed by Russia in 2023 resulting in a massive ecological disaster.
V. DECENTRALIZATION AND MUNICIPALITIES
IN PRE-PRODUCTION
In order to rebuild a more resilient and modern energy grid, municipalities and businesses across Ukraine are undertaking initiatives to decentralize the system. This involves installing networks of generators, heat pumps, solar panels, and other equipment, sometimes at the level of individual buildings and facilities. Such efforts will allow communities to retain power independently and make the grid harder to destroy.
VI. RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE FUTURE
IN PRE-PRODUCTION
Alongside legacy infrastructure built in the 20th century, Ukraine is growing its renewable energy sector and building massive wind and solar farms. The Tyligulska Wind Power Plant, completed in 2023, is the first wind farm in the world to be completed and brought online during wartime. Despite challenges with construction and foreign investment due to the war, Ukraine still intends to achieve its climate goals and continues to plan for a cleaner and more sustainable future.
partner organizations
To facilitate the production, we are proud to partner with numerous business and civil organizations across Ukraine and Europe. These organizations have made themselves available to assist in the search and selection of characters for the film, facilitate access to locations and activities for shooting, provide expert advice and on-camera interviews, and provide references and connections to others relevant parties in the industry. As the film nears the end of production, our partners will likewise be able to facilitate in the distribution and organizing of screenings alongside our team.
This list will be updated as new partnerships are established and confirmed.
get in touch
Thank you for reading about our project. If this page was shared with you but you do not have direct contact with our team, please reach out to us with the contact form below. We look forward to hearing from you.
