{"id":532061,"date":"2026-07-18T09:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/532061\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T09:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:09:09","slug":"pietra-brettkelly-explores-uncharted-waters-in-new-film-crocodile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/532061\/","title":{"rendered":"Pietra Brettkelly explores uncharted waters in new film Crocodile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brettkelly is getting a kick out of it, too. \u201cIt was like the buzz of great documentary work,\u201d she texts me afterwards. \u201cLots of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PietraPietra Brettkelly becomes the centre of attention on Karangahape Rd. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n

You\u2019d never know it, but she\u2019s typically more at home on the other end of the camera. <\/p>\n

Based in Auckland, although rarely found here, the award-winning film-maker is an electric presence on the international festival circuit, known for her ability to sniff out a story in the most unlikely places.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been said that the risks Brettkelly takes to make her films reflect either passion or craziness. The truth is she\u2019s naturally inclined to both.<\/p>\n

Over the past two decades, her intuitive style of storytelling has led her to places as far-flung as Libya, Afghanistan, China, New York, Tibet, the Arctic Circle and Sudan. Three of her documentaries have been submitted for Oscar contention.<\/p>\n

Her latest project, Crocodile, is about a collective of young film-makers in Nigeria, where kidnappings are so common she didn\u2019t stay in the same place for more than two nights in a row.<\/p>\n

\"FilmedFilmed in their home city of Kaduna in northern Nigeria, The Critics’ sci-fi shorts have a cult following on YouTube. Photo \/ Crocodile Film Limited<\/p>\n

On her most recent trip to Kaduna, the northern region had become so volatile that commercial airlines had withdrawn all flights into the city.<\/p>\n

Travelling by car from the capital Abuja, she became stuck in a five-hour traffic jam after a truck rolled, blocking the road. <\/p>\n

Helicopters dispatched by the Nigerian Air Force circled overhead in case of trouble and unidentified men armed with AK-47s patrolled up and down the highway. <\/p>\n

Advised by her driver to stay in the car, she was sitting quietly in the back seat when one of the armed men rapped on the window, demanding to see her passport. <\/p>\n

\u201cHave you been kidnapped?\u201d he asked her. \u201cNot yet,\u201d she replied. <\/p>\n

As terrifying as it sounds, experiences like that seem to sit lightly on Brettkelly. She became such close friends with the fixer who helped her with on-the-ground arrangements when she started filming in Nigeria that he named his first baby after her.<\/p>\n

\"InIn 2019, Brettkelly was named an Arts Foundation Laureate, receiving the Dame Gaylene Preston Award for Documentary Filmmakers \u2013 a $35,000 grant that helped finance Crocodile. Brettkelly is wearing a Sylvester jacket with fake-fur collar and Hailwood trousers. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n

\u201cI have seriously been born without fear in that regard and also without regret,\u201d says Brettkelly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really considered, though. I educate myself. I\u2019m not reckless. Well, others would look at my life and say I\u2019m reckless, but I\u2019ve always known I wanted a life full of risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shot over 13 years, Crocodile had its world premiere in February in competition at the Berlinale Film Festival and has already picked up two international awards. <\/p>\n

Showing here from August 2 as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, it\u2019s scheduled for a nationwide release early next year. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe Critics when Brettkelly first met them in 2019. Clockwise from left: Raymond Yusuff, Victor Josiah, Godwin Josiah, Ronald Yusuff, Richard Yusuff, Rachael Yusuff and Rejoice Josiah. Photo \/ Crocodile Film Limited<\/p>\n

Plans are afoot to hold a screening in Nigeria, where the collective has now independently completed its first full-length drama. <\/p>\n

Brettkelly\u2019s curiosity was sparked by an article about these young kids shooting sci-fi shorts on one of their dads\u2019 broken cellphones. <\/p>\n

Calling themselves The Critics, they\u2019d initially recorded critiques of Nigeria\u2019s \u201cNollywood\u201d movies before deciding they could make something better themselves. Their YouTube channel now has more than 110,000 subscribers. <\/p>\n

Brettkelly\u2019s previous documentary, Yellow is Forbidden, was an intimate portrait of Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei, creator of the iconic fur-trimmed yellow gown that went viral after Rihanna wore it to the Met Gala in 2017.<\/p>\n

A decade before that, she\u2019d filmed The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins, on concept artist Vanessa Beecroft\u2019s controversial attempts to adopt two orphaned babies in Sudan.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Art Star and the Sudanese Twins, 2008.<\/p>\n

Something about The Critics\u2019 story piqued her interest. \u201cI don\u2019t over-analyse why I react to something,\u201d she says. \u201cI just act on my instincts.\u201d <\/p>\n

At first, they ignored her when she tried to make contact through social media. Ironically, given Nigeria\u2019s reputation for internet fraud, they thought it was some kind of scam. <\/p>\n

\u201cEventually, Godwin got back to me, and I said I\u2019d come over to meet them all and talk with everyone, which is what I do,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The director of photography she\u2019d booked to come with her pulled out over security concerns on the day they were due to fly out.<\/p>\n

At the time, there were nine core members of the collective, led by Godwin Josiah and his cousin Raymond Yusuff, with their brothers, sisters and other cousins as part of the crew. <\/p>\n

When Brettkelly landed on their doorstep in 2019 and began recording, the youngest of them was 4. Only Godwin, then 18, was old enough to sign his own consent form. <\/p>\n

\"RachaelRachael Yusuff, one of the youngest members of The Critics, is now 16 and has finished high school. “She wants to be a lawyer and rule the world,” says Brettkelly, “and she will.” Photo \/ Crocodile Film Limited<\/p>\n

Self-taught, the group had been making their quirky shorts from whatever they could cobble together since 2012 \u2013 devising the scripts, designing props and creating crazy special effects. <\/p>\n

In one video, a character shoots lightning out of his fingers and then vanishes. In another, a giant bird snatches a boy having a pee and flies off with him in its claws.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to explain just how ingenious these sci-fi videos are, given the circumstances in which they\u2019ve been filmed.<\/p>\n

Life in Kaduna, known as Crocodile City, is precarious. Homes without electricity rely on generators, and the power often goes out several times a day. Brettkelly says even people with jobs sometimes go for months without being paid.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Critics set up a special effects “green screen” using whatever they have at hand. Photo \/ Crocodile Film Limited<\/p>\n

Raymond, who is hospitalised at one stage, suffers from recurrent attacks of typhoid, which is endemic in Nigeria, and his family can\u2019t afford the drugs to treat it.<\/p>\n

Godwin lost his mother when he was young, and his father\u2019s second wife, who appears in the film, died suddenly in her sleep. \u201cThese are all people younger than me,\u201d says Brettkelly, \u201cso there\u2019s a real fragility there.\u201d <\/p>\n

The situation was complicated, too, because The Critics had done much of the filming in secret. Their parents, who didn\u2019t see any future in it, thought they\u2019d just been mucking about.<\/p>\n

Nigerian Pidgin, an English-based creole, is widely spoken, making it easier to communicate with the families. However, its use has put traditional languages under threat. <\/p>\n

The country\u2019s history as a former British colony created an uncomfortable dynamic for Brettkelly, a P\u0101keh\u0101 who grew up in \u014chope and has Irish heritage on her grandfather\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\""I\u2019ve“I\u2019ve always known I wanted a life full of risk.\u201d Brettkelly is wearing a Sylvester jacket with fake-fur collar and Hailwood trousers. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n

While studying te reo M\u0101ori \u2013 \u201ctrying to be a better Tangata Tiriti [Treaty partner]\u201d \u2013 she\u2019d become interested in the reclamation of indigenous languages. Here was a group of young Africans using creativity to explore their own voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight from the start, I wanted to discuss that I was this white woman, turning up on their doorstep,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\u201cI remember we were all chatting on the first day and I said I was thinking I could commission them to make a short film, maybe with me playing a great white monster. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was this silence around the room and I thought, \u2018Oh my God, I\u2019ve gone too far, too quickly. These people don\u2019t even know me and I\u2019m making these crazy proposals.\u2019 But they were just really open to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a fabulous shot of Brettkelly flanked by five of The Critics, snappily dressed for the red carpet at Crocodile\u2019s Berlin premiere. All four screenings had sold out within 15 minutes of the tickets going live.<\/p>\n

Six days earlier, she\u2019d been down in Wellington at Park Road Post Production, making final touches to the film.<\/p>\n

\"OnOn the red carpet in Berlin for Crocodile’s world premiere. From left: Richard Yusuff, Ronald Yusuff, Godwin Josiah, Pietra Brettkelly, Victor Josiah and Raymond Yusuff.<\/p>\n

In Berlin, it was -8C outside, but Brettkelly looks glamorous in floaty harem-style Trelise Cooper trousers and a vintage off-the-shoulder dress made by her mother, Madeleine. <\/p>\n

The young men alongside her weren\u2019t only Crocodile\u2018s on-screen stars; they had also become collaborators in the deepest sense of the word. <\/p>\n

In the credits, The Critics share equal billing with Brettkelly as director and producer. The collective also has 50% ownership of the film and will receive half of any profits.<\/p>\n

This kind of arrangement is so rare in documentary-making that she struggled to find advice on exactly how such a contract should be drawn up. <\/p>\n

To ensure full transparency, she gave them money to consult a lawyer independently before they signed. <\/p>\n

Chelsea Winstanley (Jojo Rabbit) came on board early as executive producer. However, others in the film industry here struggled with the concept and warned her against relinquishing control. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne film-maker told me to be really careful about what theymight do,\u201d says Brettkelly, who has the sole writer credit and handled post-production. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis othering, it\u2019s exactly what I don\u2019t want to be a part of, because as documentary makers, if we\u2019re honest, we\u2019re colonisers. Largely, the practice is to go in and capture a story and then take it away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe core members of The Critics in 2024, seven years on from when Brettkelly began working with them. From bottom left: Richard Yusuff, Ronald Yusuff, Godwin Josiah, Raymond Yusuff and Victor Josiah. Photo \/ Clan Yujo Limited<\/p>\n

When borders closed during the Covid pandemic, Brettkelly ran weekly Zoom sessions with The Critics to teach them about the art of documentary making so they could keep filming without her. <\/p>\n

By then, they\u2019d graduated from cellphones to proper camera gear, donated by science-fiction director J.J. Abrams, who\u2019d seen their work.<\/p>\n

For two years, Brettkelly paid the collective a monthly fee. \u201cThey chose what to film, where to put the camera, and who to focus the camera on,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s directing, for sure.\u201d <\/p>\n

In recognition of their work, The Critics also received a $1000 story fee for every minute of footage from their video clips that were used in the documentary. <\/p>\n

The editing process took two and a half years. Finally, in 2024, Brettkelly travelled back to Kaduna to show them a rough cut. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really emotional. We talked and talked and then we watched it again the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are some dark and challenging moments in Crocodile, including strains that develop in the relationship between Godwin and Raymond, and one devastating turn of events that causes a serious rupture in the group.<\/p>\n

The collective has now consolidated into a core team of four, running after-school programmes and internships to train local talent for their film crews.<\/p>\n

\"Brettkelly,Brettkelly, wearing a dress by Hailwood, struts through St Kevin’s Arcade. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n

Despite the different worlds they inhabit, Brettkelly and The Critics are kindred spirits in many ways. <\/p>\n

A law school dropout who switched to journalism (and didn\u2019t complete that course, either), she\u2019s never been to film school and long ago gave up the stability of a regular income. So much of her life is spent on the road that she hasn\u2019t lived in her Auckland apartment for the past seven years. <\/p>\n

In 2019, she was named an Arts Foundation Laureate, receiving the Dame Gaylene Preston Award for Documentary Filmmakers \u2013 a $35,000 grant that helped finance Crocodile. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs creators, we all make huge sacrifices, but I\u2019ve never thought of it that way,\u201d she says. \u201cI love every single day, even the really tough days. I\u2019m exactly in the life that I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crocodile opens in Auckland on August 2 at the New Zealand International Film Festival, followed by screenings in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin. For the full festival programme, see nziff.co.nz <\/p>\n

Joanna Wane is a senior lifestyle writer with an interest in social issues and the arts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brettkelly is getting a kick out of it, too. \u201cIt was like the buzz of great documentary work,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4995,92787,8166,156,2881,179374,84321,593,60044,2964,78,700,2683,13631,117,111,139,425,69,3169,92925,31472,245915,9324,2081,12718,6180,31706,8475,19137,262490,148221,25535],"class_list":["post-532061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-away","tag-brettkelly","tag-crocodile","tag-entertainment","tag-explores","tag-eyebrows","tag-fearless","tag-film","tag-followed","tag-half","tag-in","tag-latest","tag-move","tag-never","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-now","tag-nz","tag-ownership","tag-passionate","tag-path","tag-pietra","tag-profits","tag-raised","tag-rights","tag-shes","tag-signed","tag-thats","tag-traditional","tag-uncharted","tag-unconventional","tag-waters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}