WATCH: Neon Reef dives into the sexy, hopeful mission two gay guys took on to save Miami’s coral wonderland
Not all heroes wear capes—some wear flashy, form-fitting briefs!
Mark
Miami is home to one of the most vibrant communities in the world, one filled with eclectic characters, must-visit locales, and plenty of other jaw-dropping wonders.
No, we’re not talking about the gay nightlife scene of South Beach—we’re talking about the South Florida Reef Tract, a gorgeous underwater ecosystem that is, against all odds, utterly thriving.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Surely we don’t have to tell you that Mother Nature isn’t doing so hot right now. Thanks to global warming and all the other human-inflicted damage on the planet, many of our most beautiful natural habitats are crumbling right under our feet.
Yet somehow this particular coral reef off the shore of Miami, once decimated by dredging in the 1950s, has bounced back, a resilient sign of hope in these ecologically depressing times.
And two gay men have made it their mission to keep it that way, rallying their community around preserving this aquamarine wonderland. Because not all heroes wear capes… some wear briefs.
Set to make its debut at the Miami Film Festival this month, Neon Reef is a different kind of nature documentary—surely one of the few queer nature docs in existence?—that shines a light on the intersection of the LGBTQ+ community & environmental activism.
At the heart of the story is married couple Patrick Breshike and David Grieser, South Beach residents leading the charge in keeping the South Florida Reef Tract safe from harm.
It was out of boredom during our 2020 lockdown era that the pair began more frequent paddle-boarding trips over the shallows of South Beach where they couldn’t help but notice dark outlines of something below them on the ocean floor. They soon took it upon themselves to strap on some scuba gear and explore beneath the surface, completely blown away by the lively biodiverse ecosystem they found.
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Since then, they’ve been deemed the “reef guardians” of Miami’s Urban Paradise Guild non-profit, rallying their neighbors & lobbying local politicians to do all they can to preserve this natural beauty, warding off poachers, combating the effects of climate change, and educating the masses.
From filmmaker Alex Mitow (a producer of Peter Hujar’s Day), Neon Reef welcomes audiences into Patrick & David’s world, which is just as colorful above & below sea level, as well as the diverse coalition of activists they’ve emboldened, from queer coral scientists to female divers to “eco-mermaid” Merle Liivand, the Guinness World Record-holder for farthest swims using a monofin. Pretty iconic, if you ask us.
With loud & proud couple Patrick and David front-and-center, their fondness for flashy, form-fitting swimwear makes this an unexpectedly sexy nature doc, but not even their beach bods are a match for the beauty of Miami’s “gorgeous, world-class, eye candy reef.”
On April 19, Neon Reef will make its world premiere at the Miami Film Festival featuring a live Q&A with the director and his subjects—including an optional scenic bike ride to the screening guided by Patrick & David!—so if you’re in the area, grab tickets ASAP because they’re selling fast!
After that, the doc will screen as part of the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival‘s South Beach Shorts program on April 27 (tickets here), and if you’re not in the area, it’ll also be streaming via the fest’s virtual program beginning May 3.
Stay tuned for more festival screenings & wider release details for Neon Reef sure to come. And in the meantime, check out its first teaser trailer below:
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