Stan to stream Kiama shark attack survivor's story in Attacking Life documentary

The feature film, Attacking Life, details the trauma and recovery Connellan went through after a shark grabbed his leg while surfing in March 2016, and the challenges he set out to conquer in his quest to prove he would not be defined by his injury.

It will be streaming on Stan from March 9 this year.

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"It doesn't matter what happens to you, what really matters is how you respond," Connellan told the Mercury.

"You have the option to either be defined by it or you can put everything that you can into trying to overcome it."

Connellan and photographer friend Sam Tolhurst didn't expect the documentary process to span as long as it did, but it's been one hell of a fun ride.

Tolhurst followed his mate around Australia, the Telos Islands in Indonesia, to one of the greatest waves in the world Cloudbreak in Fiji, to witnessing him complete his greatest challenge to date - a 51-kilometre ocean paddle in Hawaii, the apex of the film.

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Tolhurst recalls jumping into the middle of the channel between Oahu and Moloka'i for just a few minutes to film with Scott Ruzzene, but they became overwhelmed by the endless blue beneath them.

"It was crazy and scary, but Brett was in the water for like seven-and-a-half hours ... that's testament to his mental fortitude and determination to push through," Tolhurst said.

"It's so great to look back on the photos from the filming of the project, either through wisdom or luck we definitely chose some photogenic places."

He described many epic memories from making the film like the poetic moment where time stood still, and days of chasing waves and calamity in Indonesia finally payed off.

They wanted footage of Connellan surfing in the barrel of a wave but luck hadn't been on their side with the weather and camera equipment getting flooded by the sea, until the final hours of their last day.

"I had to swim back in, run back to the lodge, it was an hour turnaround, swim back out, and ... the minute I turned the camera back on Brett got the wave and we nailed the shot," Tolhurst said.

"That was almost poetic."

The duo believe having the film picked up for national release is a "big thankyou" to the dozens of Illawarra creatives who helped out.

From bands like Pacific Avenue and Dos Santos who provided music, to expat Brad Gall who shared his Hawaiian home and helped make the Moloka'i paddle happen.

But now the project has drawn to an end, it only signals the beginning for the film-making duo.

Connellan aims to take on more physical challenges to test his body and his mind (like a 50km trail run), but he also wants to share other people's inspiring stories with Tolhurst.

"Now we have an understanding of how to create something long-form [in film] we want to tell other people's stories as well," Tolhurst said.

Connellan added the power of story cannot only help individuals rise above adversity but believes it's also beneficial and inspirational for other people to hear.

"There's only so long I can stand up on stage and tell a story about when I was attacked by a shark when I was 22."

Attacking Life will be streamed on Stan from March 9.

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