London-based producer Lizzie Gillett accepted the award for best documentary alongside her fellow producers and the film’s co-directors at the 2025 EE Bafta Film Awards this week for their documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.
Released in November last year, it showcases the life of the titular American actor following a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralysed from the neck down, and his subsequent work as an activist for disability rights and spinal cord injury treatments.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times, Ms Gillett said her heart was in her mouth as the nominees were announced and it was an "incredible" feeling when Super/Man won.
"We are over the moon and so grateful for all the people who voted for the film," she said.
"You make these documentaries because you believe in them, and you want people to see them, and to have that recognition from Bafta, which is one of the most prestigious film bodies in the world, was just amazing."
After graduating from the University of Otago, Ms Gillett’s first job was as a news reporter on Dunedin television station Channel 9, where she also produced the weekly one-hour sports programme The Score.
"I had no idea what I was doing; I had no training really.
"It all started from there — I came to London straight after that."
"I had been a producer-director in Dunedin — my own TV show, I really thought I was a hot shot — but I got here and nobody cared, and nobody had heard of anything I’d done.
She had worked on documentaries since 2018 but Super/Man had been special.
"Christopher Reeve became a real hero in our eyes, and in the film’s eyes, after the accident, not actually before," she said.
"When he was playing Superman, he was playing a hero. It was actually after the accident when you really saw the hero qualities of persistence and determination and kindness, and he worked so hard to make the world better for other people.
"There’s a lot that’s sad in the film, but it was such a joyful project to be part of, and I kind of put that down to the three Reeve kids ... They were just our guiding lights on the film."
Former Channel 9 co-manager Ross Johnston said Ms Gillett had "just gone on to basically conquer the world".
"To have your documentary recognised in Bafta means that you’re really top of the tree for that year."
Hundreds, if not thousands, of documentaries were made every year, and it was "gobsmackingly amazing" when one got recognised in a manner such as this, he said.
Her parents, Dr Shirley Gillett and Prof Grant Gillett, were "delighted" with their daughter’s award, which they said was the culmination of Ms Gillett’s efforts to forge a path in the film industry.
"To see her in London at this point is a real culmination," Prof Gillett said.
