Brett Connellan got so tired of people telling him he should write a book about his survival and recovery from a great white shark attack, he decided to make a documentary instead.
His story of the surfing trip one evening at Kiama on the New South Wales south coast in 2016 that cost him most of his left thigh, and his return to elite fitness, is a captivating one.
Seven years later he is finally ready to tell it.
“I’d had offers from other production houses and platforms but I knew from early on I didn’t want to surrender control of the narrative,” he said.
“If someone else was to take full rein of this story it would be a very Jaws-esque recount of the tale.
“If I did this [documentary] at the start of the recovery it wouldn’t have the weight of what I’ve learnt along the way.”
Today, the documentary Attacking Life will be launched on Stan, charting Mr Connellan’s long road to recovery and the profound and surprisingly positive side effects of that shark attack.
From bleak outlook to medical miracle
On the evening of the attack, Mr Connellan’s life was first saved by his friend Joel Trist, who brought him to shore on his surfboard.
Next, Mr Trist’s now-wife Agie used her training as a nurse to perform life-saving first aid on the sand by using a surfboard leg rope as a tourniquet to stop Mr Connellan bleeding to death.
Alongside receiving exceptional medical care, his remarkable recovery is characterised by ruthless determination.
Not only did he attack the physical and mental aspects of his rehabilitation, he also set some ambitious goals for the future — including paddling 54 kilometres between the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Oahu.
“I’ve always set physical challenges post-attack to stay fit and healthy and maintain strength, but also prove to myself what’s possible,” he said.
The initial treatment included four operations to save his leg, including transferring muscle from his upper back to his thigh.
Next there was the recovery to walking, then swimming, then surfing at a level comparable to before the attack.
“I enjoyed pushing the medical miracle side of things along and being able to interview my surgeon,” he said.
“For me, it’s my story, but it’s also an exploration of my story from my point of view.”
Last year, he achieved his landmark goal by successfully completing his Hawaiian open water paddle.
Lifelong bond with friend and filmmaker
When Mr Connellan was ready to turn his story into a film he turned to his friend Sam Tolhurst.
It was an offer the filmmaker hoped would come.
“I always wanted to approach Brett to do something like this,” he said.
“The physical survival tale is incredible and draws people in, but what we want to get out of the movie is how Brett responded [to the attack].
“Reframing the position he was in, rather than thinking ‘it was a tragedy and he lost everything’. He saw it as being an opportunity to do something different and it’s powerful to see the way it’s gone.”
Throughout the years of producing the documentary the two friends have grown even closer.
Mr Connellan will be one of Mr Tolhurst’s groomsmen at his wedding.
“Looking back at the way we’ve approached telling the story is something I’m extremely proud of,” Mr Tolhurst said.
“It was important Brett had agency in the way we told his story. We wanted to tell it in a way that showed his respect for sharks and his drive and determination to be an advocate for marine life.”
Mr Connellan said he wanted people to look at his experience and reflect on their own resilience.
“I don’t want people to view me as the inspiration,” he said.
“I know my story is interesting, but if I can get people to understand resilience is within all of them, and they can view themselves as that inspiration, that’s powerful in itself.”
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