Crocodile

The Critics are a filmmaking collective of teenagers and young adults based in Kaduna, Nigeria. Thirteen years ago, they began filming short videos on one of their father’s phones, crafting homemade props and green screens, casting friends and family and teaching themselves visual effects from the internet. Today they have upwards of 110,000 subscribers to their YouTube channel where they share their striking homemade science fiction films, with the likes of J.J. Abrams among their loyal fans.

In Crocodile, New Zealand documentary legend Pietra Brettkelly (Yellow is Forbidden NZIFF 2018, A Flickering Truth NZIFF 2016, Māori Boy Genius NZIFF 2012, The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins NZIFF 2008) turns the camera on The Critics' daily lives, following their struggles and successes with affection and a remarkable eye for detail. Crocodile took the team seven years to shoot, recently premiering at Berlinale.

The result of wild imagination, ambition, resourcefulness and collaboration, framed through the warm, inquisitive lens of documentarian Pietra Brettkelly, is a joy to behold.