Blog

Crocodile – Crowdfunding for latest film

Kia ora I’ve just launched the fundraising campaign for my latest film, Crocodile, the film I’ve been making in Nigeria for 3.5 years. Fingers crossed… maybe toes too. Take a look and share if you’d like. You’ve been a wonderful supporter of me in the past so hopefully you’ll find the latest work interesting too. …

Arts Laureate of New Zealand

Last night this fabulous thing happened, I was made an Arts Laureate of New Zealand, awarded to me by the lovely Dame Gaylene Preston… absolutely chuffed.  

NZ International Film Festival 2018

Yellow is Forbidden is at the NZ International Film Festival in Auckland and 12 other locations.  If you are in Auckland – at the first two NZIFF screenings (both Civic Theatre) screenings will be followed by a Q+A in the Wintergarden. “In Guo Pei she meets a subject fit for the times. The contemporary hankering …

Spring and Tribeca

En route to my film’s last screening at Tribeca Film Festival in New York I walked through the spring of Central Park. And a little boy came to show me the mosquito he’d caught, in a jar, that he was feeding a tulip flower. I asked him to take my photo with the blossoms. And …

Yellow is Forbidden at Tribeca Film Festival in New York

Tribeca Film FestivalA radio interview today. “Yellow is Forbidden, has just become the first New Zealand film to screen in competition at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York.The documentary focuses on the extraordinary story of Chinese fashion designer, Guo Pei, the daughter of a communist soldier and a teacher, who counts Rihanna and …

Metro Profile – Oct 2017

A profile story has been published in the September- October 2017 issue of Metro. Here are the introductory paragraphs. To read the full story click here or on link at the bottom. “World vision Film-maker Pietra Brettkelly travels the globe, surmounting financial and other obstacles to make her documentaries. She tells Metro about refusing to …

The Guo Pei story

“A new film by New Zealand film maker Pietra Brettkelly chronicles the life and work of fashion designer Guo Pei – it’s called Yellow is Forbidden – currently in post production. Guo Pei – whose clients include Beyonce and Rihanna – is based in Beijing and Paris. Pietra is fundraising to finish the film.” ‘Yellow …

A Flickering Truth

About ‘A Flickering Truth’ Andrew Pulver, from The Guardian says: Here is an outstanding film from the New Zealand director Pietra Brettkelly that starts off slowly, but builds into a revelatory document about Afghanistan and its current travails. Its unlikely vehicle is the attempt to restore and rescue the Afghan film archive in Kabul, trashed by …

NEW ZEALAND FILM FESTIVAL

Have loved being at the q and a of my film screening as part of the NZ Film Festival. Tauranga and Hawkes Bay coming up. And also sending off funding applications for my next film tentatively titled FLICKERING TIME BOMB, that I’ll start filming in October in Afghanistan. Very exciting.  

Sydney Film Festival over… Sheffield Doc/Fest here I come

Just had two sold-out screenings of Maori Boy Genius at Sydney Film Festival. And a standing ovation. Humbling business. Wore a great gold frock my mum had made me which gave me strength, though I could see her in the audience watching me nervously as I played equally nervously with threads that were hanging down…. …