#ivete lucas

Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.

Ivete Lucas: I was born in Brazil from a Brazilian mom and a Mexican dad. We moved to Mexico when I was 9 years old and I went to an American school. So I grew up among three different cultures. When I was little I was really into books, not that much into movies. I read a lot — all kinds of books, fairy tales, books about animals, on how to grow fish, whatever I could get my hands on, and eventually real literature. My ability to speak three languages allowed me to read books from all over the world, although my favorites were Latin American writers like Borges and Cortázar. I never thought about film as a possibility because my parents watched very straight forward Hollywood films, like romantic comedies and science fiction and that didn’t excite me at all. It wasn’t until I watched Natural Born Killers in the 90s, which is still pretty mainstream, that I realized there was a whole world of interesting films out there that I didn’t know. After that I started really diving in and finding more alternative films from all over the world, all different eras. And it was really my love of storytelling combined with my excitement about films that pushed aesthetic boundaries that inspired me to make films myself. 

MM: How did you find your voice as a director? What was the learning curve like when you first began directing?

IL: In the beginning I didn’t think I could direct. I had a lot of guy friends and it seems like when they said they wanted to do something their parents took that seriously. So my guys friends had cameras and computers to edit. I didn’t even have a good photo camera until I got to college and I had to get one for a photo class. It was still a really crappy one, but it worked. I think that’s how I learned that it’s not really the gear that you have, but what you can make with that gear. I got a Communication degree in college (it was general enough to figure out what I wanted to do). I worked very hard after school teaching English as a second language and extra curricular activities at a school so I could afford my first camera and editing station. Once I had that camera I started making experimental videos. I got together with a bunch of friends and we started a little TV show at our university channel, La Colección de Buenas Maneras. It was a variety show about art, but that was really just an excuse so we could break the norms. It was a very funny show. It was like playing for us and it allowed me and everyone on the team to experiment with different roles: director, producer, camera, editing, sound. It was that collective, that group of friends that really sparked it all. Once we graduated, we wanted to keep going so we met every week and talked about our ideas. Our first film project was a short film that we wrote and directed collectively among 7 directors. We got a grant from IMCINE (the Mexican Film Institute) to make the film and it got short listed for the Mexican Academy Awards. I produced, co-directed and co-wrote it, but I still didn’t feel confident enough to make something on my own. I really felt like I wanted to learn every crew position before I could direct and so I decided to go to film school. I got my MFA at the University of Texas at Austin and I believe that’s really where I found my voice, that and meeting Patrick. I met Patrick Bresnan (my husband and filmmaking partner) when I was still in Mexico. He convinced me to apply to UT and to make films with him. We’ve been making films together since 2008. At UT I made films on my own and on vacations and weekends I made films with him. So I was able to balance my individual voice with my co-directorship with him. And it was really through making lots of short films with great mentors that I figured out what I wanted to do with film. And now I finally feel like I have a clear vision when I start a film project.

MM: Can you tell us anything about your first feature documentary?

IL: One Big Misunderstanding was quite literally a labor of love. Patrick and I met a couple of months before we started shooting. He convinced me to co-direct it with him and we got married while working on the film. The movie is about a group of Vietnam war reenactors, who decide to put on an event called Vietnam Appreciation Day, in which they will reenact the war for Vietnam veterans as a tribute to their service. The result is a surreal journey. We filmed the reenactors for 4 years and the film is currently in postproduction. One of the people we interviewed (not a main subject of the film) was Eric Frein, the man who shot two Pennsylvania state troopers, killing one, and then hid in the Poconos for over a month. Our film is not about him, though. It’s really a mother and son story. We follow Bubba, a 23 year old who couldn’t get into the military because of his bipolar disorder and now is trying hard to be a Vietnam war reenactor, which also proves to be difficult for him.

MM: What project do you think you will take on next?

IL: Patrick and I are making a series of short observational documentaries about senior year rituals in a small sugar cane farming town in Florida. The Send-Off, the first of the series, premiered at Sundance Film Festival and is touring the festival circuit in the US and abroad. The film follows a group of teens on the day of their prom. It’s a very glamorous affair that involves a huge block party, in which teens show off their fancy rental cars and stunning dresses. The second film of the series, which we just finished, is called The Rabbit Hunt. It follows a family of rabbit hunters in the sugar cane fields for a full day.

MM: Do you have any advice for aspiring directors?

IL: I’ve really benefited from knowing how to fill every position in the crew. I’m not necessarily good at everything, but when I have to ask someone to do something, I know if it’s in their realm of possibility and can make suggestions on how to achieve it. My other advice is to be very sincere with your work. This sounds easy, but it can be hard to do. If you’re imitating other directors and not really expressing a deep message that comes from inside of you, the audience can tell. The truth is that superficial, derivative work is easy to spot and it’s such a turn off. So do whatever it takes to release that honest voice. Experiment with the form. Be playful. Make lots of films, until you feel like you’re hitting the right notes. Every art form takes practice and you have to be diligent and forgiving with yourself when something doesn’t go as planned. But don’t be too forgiving, give it your all and expect the very best you can give. Making films is not that glamorous. It’s hard. You stand in the heat for hours holding heavy things. You sweat and get sunburns. And there are ups and downs, so you really have to believe in your voice and what you’re doing so you can take the criticism. But also be humble. Know that your audience is smart and you don’t have to tell them everything. And learn how to take constructive criticism from the people you respect because that will make your work better. Also, learn from other art forms. I believe I’m a good editor because I love music and I know rhythm. I go to art shows, music shows and I read a lot. I’m constantly inspired by what other people are doing. I surround myself with good people because life is too short to work with jerks. There are good people out there making wonderful things and when we come together our voices are louder.