Environmental Documentary about the Kakhovka dam breach

Dear friends, community, chosen family. I am reaching out to you because I have made an important decision and I need your support. As a filmmaker, I cannot stay silent. And as a Ukrainian I cannot be away from home, knowing that the stories of my country are continuing to go untold.

The film:

I am working on a feature documentary about the devastating tragedy of the Kakhovka dam breach, located in the heart of my hometown. It is an unprecedented event that affected 40,000 people, 600 square kilometers of land (about the size of Toronto), flooding more than 120,000 acres of forests and leaving 95,000 tons of dead fish.

Why now:

Grants and funding take a long time to come through. While I am certain this project will find a lot of support from the international funding bodies, I need money now. I am raising private funds in order to arrive in Ukraine exactly 1 year after the dam breach. There I will gather stories of locals in Kherson (70 kms from Nova Kakhovka), who have lived through the tragedy, whose houses got flooded and who have to live with the environmental consequences of the breach. This is the right time to be in Ukraine and foster conversations among scientists and political leaders about the future of the area.

Why me:

Born and raised around the Kakhovka dam, I know firsthand how deeply interwoven locals’ lives are with their water, which is now missing. My family’s business was the largest supplier of fishing equipment. Not only were our stores burnt and flooded by the invaders, but also there is no future for fishermen in the area given the lack of water after the dam breach. Through my connections to the community, I will showcase the locals who have to live with the environmental consequences of the war. I will be sharing the perspectives of the environmental activists who want to spread the word about the dangers of trying to return back to the norm (rebuilding the dam).

Who is behind:

My team includes brave journalists and environmental activists in Ukraine, and brilliant producers here in Canada. Our executive producer Jessica Jennings is known for environmental documentaries, and a film she worked on has been nominated for an Oscar, “To Kill a Tiger” (2022).

What is needed:

I am raising $10,000 in order to pay for transportation, labor, production costs and research. I will be on the ground in Ukraine filming stories that will be crucial in securing further funding, spreading the word about the necessity of land protection and developing recovery strategies.

A little about me:

My name is Olya Glotka and I am an award-winning, female, queer, Ukrainian-born, Toronto-based filmmaker. I have been working in film for the past 8 years during which I had shot for organizations and brands like National Geographic, Sunwing Vacations, Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation and many more. I have shot hundreds of dance films and have been a part of dozens of film festivals internationally. I am passionate about 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, women's rights and environment.

Kakhovka documentary is an important project not only to me but to the thousands of Ukrainians and those passionate about environmental protection and a more sustainable future for all.