Crocodile - Events

SPECIAL EVENT

Thank you so much for attending our uniquely special events.  We're so grateful you've been able to support us as we continue to try to fund towards completion of the film.

To complete the film we need $250,000 and have managed to raise over $66,000 previously largely through Boosted. 

We have very exciting news.  The NZ Film Commission did support Pietra and Chelsea to attend Cannes Film Festival market last week, and the interest in Crocodile from distributors, film festivals and sales companies was incredibly strong.  There is real interest in our film, people fascinated by the mix of documentary, magical realism and a co-production between New Zealand and Nigeria.  Now we would love to immediately raise $20,000.  

Reaching this new target will on our lean budget:

• • pay for our extraordinary full-time editor to continue to rough cut stage.  Those we met at Cannes are asking for a rough cut, some even keenly emailing us since our return to New Zealand.

Meanwhile we will continue to raise funds for the following:

- pay for the laying down of sound effects to enhance the cinematic appeal

- pay for the sound design the unique elements of magical realism to take this film to another level

- pay for the sound mix with two times Oscar winner Mike Hedges at Sir Peter Jackson's extraordinary facility Park Road Pos

- film the final scenes as the Nigerians head towards the first day of filming on their first feature film

-  allow Pietra to push her creative vision for the film by commissioning the SciFi elements in the scenes to take the film into magical realism

- work with international story consultants to workshop the film’s storylines, to hone in on the strongest scenes

- research and commission the music sound track

- create marketing materials for film festival submission

- complete all translations of the footage. The subjects speak three different languages but Pietra managed to find a wonderful translator based in Palmerston North who's studying for his PHD here in New Zealand.

US CAMPAIGN PAGE

An international donation page has been launched in the United States for residents to donate to the film through a US charity. US-based donors will be sent a tax receipt of your charitable donation for income tax.  Please use this link here:  https://pietrabrettkelly.wedid.it/campaigns/11242-crocodile

FILM LOGLINE

They live in a town called CROCODILE. Nine kids rising out of the swamp of drug trafficking and scamming, rewriting their future... and setting it in a 2049 scifi world. A coming-of-age documentary film from three times Oscar selected and Sundance award-winning NZ filmmaker Pietra Brettkelly.

YOUR SUPPORT IS VITAL

Pietra writes: In their short SciFi films they are super heroes. I believe in real life, they're super heroes too.

This is a coming-of-age film like no other. This is my 6th documentary feature and with every film I make I challenge and advance my craft and bring many New Zealand film practitioners with me. Unfortunately neither the NZ Film Commission nor NZ on Air are able to fund films where the subjects are not New Zealanders. And so I am reaching out to you.

NZ income earners qualify for a 33% tax credit on their donations from the IRD.

BACKGROUND

I started filming this extraordinary group of sisters, brothers, cousins in a small town in the middle of Nigeria 3.5 years ago. I flew out on my own after sadly my camera person pulled out, concerned with the security. But I knew this would be an amazing story of hope and magical realism. These kids needed highlighting. And my tenacity cannot be silenced.

At the start of filming the subjects were aged between 5 and 18 - Godwin, Raymond, Rejoice, Victor, Rachael, Lil Rachael, Ronald, Richard and Lawson - and together we have continued on the project through everything that life has thrown at us including the pandemic, typhoid, distance, financial struggles, floods, lack of power, being thrown out of home... but above all a combined love for this film has carried us through. And uniquely I've also given these young subjects 50% ownership of the documentary and all its profits.

Amazingly JJ Abrams (director of numerous Star Wars films) heard about the kids and sent camera equipment to support their filmmaking.

Seeing the potential and importance of CROCODILE Oscar-nominated producer Chelsea Winstanley (JOJO RABBIT, Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen) joined the film bringing her wealth of experience and creativity to the project.

I NEED YOUR HELP

I have been self-funding this extraordinary, intimate, captivating film for over three years, and have been editing now for six months. This film we know has the power to be at least as successful as our previous feature films which have premiered at five of the world's top six international film festivals - Berlinale, Toronto, Venice, Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals - before screening all over the world.

We would be so grateful to you.

EVENTS

If anyone is interested in hosting a group of friends at their place, we can play an exclusive clip from the film for you, tell a few stories from our careers, and hopefully reach donors beyond those people we know. It would be a fun event... let us know if you're interested.

THANK YOU

In recognition of your valuable contribution you will be kept informed of progress throughout the making of the film and its release. So see you on the red carpet! And all donors will be offered a credit of thanks on the film's end credits.

This project has been a huge labour of love to get to this point. We are humbled and grateful for any support you can offer. E mihi ana ki a koutou katoa. Pietra and Chelsea

TAX CREDIT

Remember donations qualify for a tax credit: NZ income earners qualify for a 33% tax credit on their donations from the IRD with a receipt automatically provided by The Arts Foundation (as The Arts Foundation is a registered charity) for any donation made.