“We Knew We Had to be Nude to Participate in this Space of Mutual Trust”: Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan on their Tribeca Festival-debuting doc Naked Gardens

The latest from husband-and-wife team – and 2016 25 New Face alums – Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan (Pahokee), Naked Gardens is a nonsexual skin flick of sorts, a season-long vérité look at the residents of family nudist resort Sunsport Gardens. Tucked away in the Florida Everglades, and run by a hippieish, Gandalf-like owner named Morley, the paradisiacal enclave draws folks from around the country – those opposed to society’s strict clothing mandate, but also just gung-ho for the place’s cheap rent. A virtual melting pot of nonconformity, Sunsport Gardens is likewise a bipartisan haven where a family with kids from conservative Kentucky, a recently widowed lesbian, and an Afro-coiffed free spirit can together live their truest selves away from the world’s harsh judgment. And perhaps even escape from any personal demons. At least until reality sneaks up like sunburn. Fortunately for Filmmaker, the duo behind this beautifully crafted cinematic portrait found time just prior to their Tribeca Festival Documentary Competition premiere (June 10) to give us the scoop over email on everything from guaranteeing uncensored onscreen nudity (a prerequisite for characters to even consent to participate in the doc) to agreeing to shoot in the nude.

To read my interview visit Filmmaker magazine.