Muna Brothers Interview- 9/15/16

(Audio Transcription)

INTERVIEWER- Thank you so much, so we’re here with Don and Kel Muna. Um, the Directors and Star of Shiro’s Head…

MUNA BROTHERS- Oh my God.

INTERVIEWER- … I am so excited to talk you guys. Thank you, Thank you. So I guess umm… I have some questions I wanted to ask you but I just, I think most of all, I want to know your thoughts on the film in general, right? Like what you were going for with it and how you feel about your achievement?

DON: ( pause)… Well, it was a big surprise uh, because we weren’t really going anywhere with it, you know? We just uh, set out to um, for once, really finalize a project and commit ourselves to taking time and seeing it through. That was the really only um, objective for us, you know as brothers, because we’ve always had ideas, young, um.. when we were much younger and we would do a project but it wasn’t you know it wasn’t as polished as we could make it and it wasn’t, we didn’t think about the entire process of what it would take to get the film seen. Um, and so we.. that was one, it was a big surprise. Um, and I’m sorry the 2nd question?

INTERVIEWER: Oh? How do you feel about what you have achieved with the film? You know like The 1 st Chamorro…

DON: Oh yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah?

MUNA BROTHERS: Um, awesome man. I’m super grateful. Very grateful, grateful and just probably lucky too. Partially, lucky. (soft laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Ok…How would you describe your like cinematic and other influences on the film?

KEL: Oh yeah there are quite a few, um. Cinematic influences in terms of at the time, um, the DIY cinema movement that was really heavy, and this was in the mid 2000s. Um, the likes of Robert Rodriguez, um… Peter Berg, um there’s probably a bit of uh, uh, Quentin Tarantino in there, but in terms of cinematic influences there are all over uh the film, for all the cinephiles out there they would be able to kind of pinpoint and recognize and some have, they would come up us to after screenings and recognize these bits and parts of, of their filmmakers. But, um, we, I think also it is dictated by the equipment we were working with, because we weren’t able um… to afford the top end, uh, high definition cameras at the time, so we were using our wedding video cameras and they were standard definition, which at that time was on its way out in terms of industry equipment. And so we knew that we had to shoot visuals that were a bit gritty, and that weren’t very uh, romantic in a sense. Um, High contrast, etc.

INTERVIEWER: … And that kind of fits with the contrast matter too, so…

DON: Yeah, yeah. That is what I wanted to say too, stylistic too we considered what type of emotion, you know, evoke, from our viewers. And so we knew, like we really fell in love with that show Friday Night Lights that was at 1st founded, or no 1st directed by Peter Berg. And so what I loved most about that is that the style is kind of like a documentary, umm, but it wasn’t a documentary so it kind of gave you that emotional, you know uh investment or attachment to that as if it was real, but then it wasn’t, it was a dramatization. So I really liked that approach and so I’m like dude, we should do it raw like, you know? That’s gonna be the scenario in which we shoot, which it’s just kind of like run and gun, and that is kind of how we agreed upon that. We’re like “ok, cool, cool, let’s do it like that.” So, and yeah, that’s… that’s my take on the approach.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, the style is… is gritty. The subject matter is kind of gritty, right? How did you come up with that and how was it received here on Guam?

KEL: Uh, let me start off by saying that what you saw on the screen is probably our 4 th or 5th draft, right… In terms of the storyline, yeah. Originally, it, it, for the 1st draft, it was this very, (laughter) um, commercial…

DON: It was like Max Havoc.

INTERVIEWER: Max Havoc…

KEL: Yeah it was very commercially influenced story and then as the pre-production got along further, we knew what we had to work with in terms of our resources, um, and it just evolved… Almost on its own, and as we went along with production, into something more organic. And it was conscious at times…

DON: Do you remember where we shot and what lead us to that like…

KEL: Yeah, yeah, yeah, um.

DON: It is super freaking symbolic.

KEL: No, no, no, go ahead.

DON: No you. I want to know about this

KELL: Yeah, yeah… Ok, so we were down at Umatac Church and we were doing a couple of test shots with our lead actor Matt Ladmirault. And… uh we’re taking some B-rolls around the church and we took it back to um… to the place that we were working and… and kind of by accident, we were using temp tracks, so temporary music…

DON: Oh yeah.

KEL: Went over the shots we took, just to see the type of feel it would give us. And the temporary tracks that we used were uh soundtracks from uh, the television series Friday Night Lights. And so we did a

quick cut, maybe a minute or so, and… paired with the music. And you can see the visuals, it just breakthrough.

DON: Yeah, nailed it.

KEL: Tremendous Breakthrough.

DO: The Vibe was there you know, so before that we had this gameplan to shoot it all nice and clean, you know? Not like shoot it nice and clean but um present the movie nice and clean. And so when we got there you know to the church was I mean, I don’t wanna sound like cheesy or anything but you know I really feel like a spiritual uh, you know, awakening, you know like, “do it like this.”

INTERVIEWER: Oh.

DON: And then we were just feeling Friday Night Lights and then we were like ok and we could put it together and then BOOM, (voice is louder) the vibe of the film kind of just, it was yeah…

KEL: (Interrupting) And so in the movie, that scene towards… thee… 2nd, or at the end of the 2nd act, going into the 3rd act, where we see the character of Noah in the church, with the sword, um. We just recreated basically hat we shot that one test day.

INTERVIEWER: Oh wow…

DON: Yeah, so…

KEL: That music montage and yeah, that worked out well. And that is what sparked the rest of the aesthetics and style for the film.

INTERVIEWER: Hmmu uh… Wow. You had some wonderful scenes in the film. I especially like that one because if I remember correctly, um… Noah, right? Comes out of the church with the sword and he’s, you know, in the church and he’s you know… (Intelligible)

MUNA BROTHERS: (Laughing)

INTERVIEWER: … Well there’s Vince… waiting for him? Yes?

DON: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: And Vince, you know, who was told him , you know that sword doesn’t, I forget the exact phrase, but the sword doesn’t belong to you. That’s not yours…

MUNA BROTHERS: Right…

INTERVIEWER: And he doesn’t, he doesn’t, he gets on his bike and rides away with the sword. Or the, yeah, I know just… For me the character of Noah is so interesting right? Because one in the film there’s um, well there’s Mazakatsu. Right? And there’s um, Vince, Jake, Alina, um, you know the Chamorro

family. And then there’s Noah, I’ve always wondered Noah’s relationship between them is a little ambiguous in the film…

MUNA BROTHERS: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: Um, can you talk about the character Noah (laughs) and how you conceived him and what he represents to you in the film?

DON: Yeah. Um, he just represents the outsider that called Guam home. Um, and from a locals perspective, and I consider myself an outsider too because, you know, I was transplanted here when I was very young, like 2nd grade or 1st grade. And stayed on Guam ever since. But, I was born in the states, I was the 1st, I was the only kid out of our siblings born in the freakin’ states man. That’s crazy. You know all of my siblings are all you know born on Guam, I was born in the states. And so we came back um and uhh I just feel like uh… there’s always this one guy in every Chamorro family that is an outsider, but he’s been accepted, you know, by a family. As, as somebody, just like blood. And um every village has one. Guaranteed.

KEL: Yeah, and also too, in most cases. Which was like our character of Noah, in the beginning of the movie when he comes home, in most cases, these outsiders embrace the Island more than the people that grew up here.

DON: Exactly. Absolutely…

KEL: Or born here, or never left. And it’s kind of taking on that… yeah, that Noah embodies that person. Whether it is a guy, or a girl that… that just adapts Guam as their home. And sees themselves as, you know, the same as everybody else who has been there all their lives. But then there is always the other guy, that contrasts, the “Vince” guy…

INTERVIEWER: Yes…

KEL … that always power checks him you, hehehe, you know, like “You’re not from here what do you want?” Yeah…

INTERVIEWER: (light laughter) That’s, Yes… for me it is really interesting the… because even Mazakatsu, seems to be part of their extended family in a way.

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER:… If you go back through the animated…

DO: His ancestral family.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah… yeah, and so even though they are all in conflict it’s almost, it’s almost very, well it is a very personal family conflict.

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeah…

INTERVIEWER: It is not just about nations or different nations anymore, Noah coming from the airport and beginning, having been off island. And Mazakatsu, flying in I guess from Japan or whatever…

MUNA BROTHERS: (Chuckling)

INTERVIEWER: The island, you know

KEL: On a freakin’ United Flight…I wonder if he was on 1st class

INTERVIEWER: Ha! Ha Ha !

DON: He was friends with the pilot that’s why.

INTERVIEWER: Oh man, yeah and it was just interesting to me because there is, there’s conflict but there also seems to be like, I don’t know, seems to be like there’s, there’s, there’s love underlying it, right?

DON: I mean we can give you the… we can give you the secret recipe right now and let you know so you can stop talking around the point, but uh, the sword is uh, a symbol, of you know, our culture. And so Guam being so diverse, you know everyone feels that sense of entitlement to the Island you know and to being Chamorro, or being Guamanian, and it’s kind of, it’s, yeah it’s a metaphor for our, our, I guess our hmmmmm. (Intelligible talk) Our, our, our cultural identity Yeah, you know, so it’s like, it’s so diverse, nobody can pinpoint it, but we know it is there, you know, and, you know the sword, everybody is fighting for the sword as if it is their own. You know, but it’s the peoples. You know, it is the bloodline, it comes from the blood you know and so that’s why there’s the, the million Managuons(?)…

INTERVIEWER: Yes…

DON: …Managuons (?) fight for the sword, you know, and um, the Mazakatsu family fighting for the sword, and then say you got Noah, and Noah is trying to hide the sword or keep the sword. You know, and then they got the backyard deal being made by the Chamorro brother, you know, the one, the one that kicks back and dries ice back in the 90s. You know, back in the… And so um, um, yeah, that is pretty much what this story is about and we pulled a lot, well I pulled a lot of um, you know, my personal stories and play you know, bits and pieces of my, my, my guesschildhood in there. So um, so um, for me, um, the monologue that Vince is talking, he’s actually in purgatory, and he is talking to his dad, so he is already dead in those moments. So he’s kind of like a spirit, overwatching what’s about to go down. And so, um, yeah there’s a lot of, a lot of personal therapy you know and throw a lot, a lot of stories in there so we could let it go.

KEL: And it’s still something too that is relevant today in terms of the cultural identity…

INTERVIEWER: Yes.

DON: Yeah, yeah, dude that… We were it. (Laughter) We were it. We were the ones, you know, like, I think the only thing that’s helping us is that we’re brown, you know what I mean? Um, but you know by blood, we’re Chamorro, you know, we are Peredo, Atoigue, San Augustin, Muna, so you know, that’s Chamorro.

DON: That’s pretty deep, and (laughter) you know, but still kind of like, white boys, yeah, you can kind of hear that we have that stateside, kind of talk, um, you know, because we were kind of transplanted ourselves and so we too struggle, we struggle because we don’t know the language, we were, we were raised westernized, you know? But we also embrace our culture, but we also embrace who we our too, because it, you know, we are those guys that are able to talk to the Chelus at the ville, and then people at Adelup, you know?

KEL: And so, um, I think the perspective is wider. You get a wide perspective on different things, you know? Just your take on it, um lot of people, I don’t know why I’m going this you guys already know this (laughter)…

INTERVIEWER: No…

KEL: …but I feel like for me, the more you see the more you know. And the more experienced you are, whether in Europe, or in Tinian, or wherever, you know? The more you know, or the more places you go than, you know, the better view you have on the world and then it puts you in perspective of what your views are.

INTERVIEWER: Oh… hehe..

KEL: And so with the yeah, with, with the story, the cultural identity of the sword is, is, is one of the same, and um, you know in real life we were just talking about Max Havoc. Everyone was dissing Max Havoc, why? Because they felt it wasn’t a true representation. And when Shiro’s comes out they feel like, “Oh, ok,” and then a Chamorro… restaurant comes out, “Ah their Kelaguen sucks, you know?” I DON’T KNOW, it’s like, who is to say what, is what, right? So, yeah, so, we are getting way off track here…

INTERVIEWER: Nononono….

DON: No, you are on point bro, on point…

INTERVIEWER 2: It is on point, it is talking about cultural Identity, I mean…

DON: Yeah, That’s pretty much what the movie is about, you know. There’s that, there’s a lot of those themes in there, you know. Um, and it just really plays out as a very traditional Chamorro story. You know, which is, you got a,you the stateside, you know, good looking, light, fair skinned, complexion, uhh, Chamorro not-Chamorro guy. And he, he, you know is in love with a Chamorro girl, and you know, wants to sweep her off her foot. And then there’s the, the, you know, stereotypical chaud older brother that’s you know is, possessive, and then he has a brother that’s actually his half brother, but he is more of a chill guy. It’s like everyone’s family, well at least every Chamorro family I know (laughter), has that kind of dynamic you know? Um, so that’s all, we just wrote it from experience, and seeing, you know, seeing the dynamic of like, you know, the boys that are just chilling in the back, you know, so it’s like ok that guy is Noah, that guy is… you know you can pretty much pick it out, you know.

INTERVIEWER: Wow, because Noah to me has always read as very white, and maybe that is just my perspective imprinting on the story…

MUNA BROTHERS: sure, Yeah…

INTERVIEWER: … and but then he is the one who at the end when Mazakatsu turns around and…

DON: He is the savior.

INTERVIEWER: Right! Yes! The white savior figure…

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeah, yeah…

INTERVIEWER: What you do think, yeah?

KEL: No, that’s absolutely it. In terms of it, as the parallels of the story and all of the undertones of the story, it is World War II. Right?

INTERVIEWER: Yes…

KEL: Well, do you like your internet? Or what, you know? There is a price to pay for everything, and you can’t hate on it because it comes from a certain point. You know, in terms of, of, of, being outside of your parameters, or where you’re from or where you live. But you know, he came in and save the day. If he didn’t come in and, and, and, you know, uh, take Mazakatsu, then um, you know, the true um, person in power, which is Alina, wouldn’t be able to still maintain the… the honor and the legacy, of, of the Managuon family, and the sword, at the end. Sorry, Did I just spoil that? Sorry! (Light Laughter)

INTERVIEWER: No, no. Thank you for bringing up Alina, the true person in power as you say, right?

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeah…

INTERVIEWER: That did not hit me the 1st few times I’m watching it, maybe because I wasn’t coming from the right cultural perspective. But, all through the story, she’s the one? Or does she take over the mantle after like Jake’s Death?

KEL: I would like to…

DON: Yeah, yeah she’s the one. She has always been the one.

INTERVIEWER: Oh my goodness.

DON: She’s always been the one.

INTERVIEWER: And, so is that driving from sort of, yeah…

DON: It’s from our cultural traditions, you know? And also for us personally, our mom raised us, you know? So… uh yeah.

KEL: Yeah, it’s just, in terms of the movie and the stylization of Alina’s character. It’s uh, it’s really cool cause she is so quiet throughout the whole thing and all of her struggles are internal.

INTERVIEWER: Yes…

KEL: But at the end, she just gives one phone call…

INTERVIEWER: I know…

KEL:… and she could have done at any time, but she’s keeping her cool because she’s a woman. And so…. (laughter) the whole while, all the guys are going around, chopping heads off, shooting, blah, blah blah… but then you have her, uh, very reluctantly having to maintain that type, that type of uh, lifestyle. Er, or not lifestyle but going along that decision…

DON: Peacekeeping, Peacekeeping…

KEL: Right, right. But she has strength to do it and it’s never been a question, it’s just how well she handled it, throughout the whole, the whole time. I think is what is really cool.

INTERVIEWER: Peacekeeping… that family name, Managuon does it mean peace?

MUNA BROTHERS: Yes…

INTERVIEWER: Ok… yes, ok, yes. I was too interested Mazakatsu’s name, um, hold on, sorry, I was looking up on the internet… and there are principle um, ok, and… and the founder of Aikido, um…

DON: That, in terms of the connection?

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

DON: No, I think how we came up with that name it’s been so long…

INTERVIEWER: Sorry… (light laughter)

DON: But if I remember while we were researching, it was, it had to deal with, uhhh, I think a Ronin, Samurai.

INTERVIEWER: Oh!

DON: And basically a Ronin Samurai is a Samurai that has gone rogue because Samurais back in those days, you know, they had to serve a specific family or emperor or, or whatever the case is. Um, but that is the path that lead us to that name.

KEL: Yeah, uh, it is not that the Samurai defected…

MUNA BROTHERS: Right, right.

DON: …but moreso it is the reason why that he would ever consider leaving his home, just because he is a loner.

INTERVIEWER: Wow, ok, cool. Um yeah, cause apparently Mazakatsu means victory that’s comes with the correct method. Right? And there is a saying from the founder of Aikido “Mazakatsu A Gatsu,” I’m probably pronouncing this wrong… (light laughter). “True victory is victory over oneself.”

KEL I like that. Cool.

INTERVIEWER: I just thought Mazakatsu, like Alina, is… obviously he is a much more showery character I guess on the surface, but he doesn’t speak much in the film either. Ai, ai, and I just…

DON: He actually doesn’t say anything,

INTERVIEWER: Does he? Yeah, Yeah, I don’t, yeah, I was kind of waiting. But certainly he is acting very, very strongly, and you feel his presence very strongly, um, he doesn’t speak, he is just clenching the sand, beautiful scene at the end. Sorry, did not mean to spoil it…

INTERVIEWER 2: It’s ok ( light laughter).

INTERVIEWER: And I just thought, the film has so many portrayals of outsiders, and even Alina, who is very much an insider, but she feels like she wants to leave the island. Right? She says I think, I think she says to Noah “Does your offer still stand?” at the end, and she’s packing up…

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER:… and you get that sense.

DON: Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. She is on her way to go find, find everything else, and what’s up with world. You Know?

KEL: Yeah she would like to move forward, she is progressive. She always had that I think on the back of her mind to you know “What else is out there?” And, um, not in a bad way, I think it is just growth. You know, she just wants to explore.

INTERVIEWER: You know, at the end of the film. Spoilers… (laughter) Vince is dead, Jake is dead, and Noah and Alina are probably going to leave the Mazakatsu, you know is going to be killed. But Noah, and um Alina are going to leave the Island. So it really seems like the family has broken up or disintegrated to some extent. I was thinking about it And I realized the father played an important character in the story but um, the older generation, the younger generation of children, don’t really appear onscreen so what are we left thinking about the family?

MUNA BROTHERS: Ummm…

INTERVIEWER: Like is there a message you are trying to get across about the modern day Chamorro family or something in that regard? Like…

DON: Absolutely, you know, like, you know just, just the inevitable. You know? As time goes by, you know? It’s evolution, you know? Things change, things change, ahh. I don’t, I don’t know why I am going to pull this story but we were here at this business forum with the Ambrose founder, and like the CEO, and General Manager, and Frank Shimizu Sr., he’s an older guy. I don’t know, he’s like, 60, 70, I don’t know. I don’t know and he didn’t say how old he was, but he’s an older guy. And he was talking about um, marketing and brand loyalty, and he says you know, now from days I’ve seen, you know people are loyal to their brand. You know, people only wanted Budweiser, they only wanted this, you knowtype of beverage, now, you know, these days, everybody wants to diversify and they want to try more things, try new things, and not be stuck onto one certain thing, I was like wow, this guy is still like thinking, and you know, and he can see it too, I mean, you know there is a 60-70 year old man that can see it too, um, so, I don’t think it is a figment of our imagination that, you know, as time goes by things tend to go kind of remove itself. Um, and so you are right on the money with tha, you know. They moved, and they moved because, of you know, what’s really going on. You know, it’s like, wellyou know what this is like the states maybe we might as well just go out to the states. You know? There’s more jobs out there…

INTERVIEWER: The Chamorro diaspora… in the states.

MUNA BROTHERS: Hahhahahah, exactly.

INTERVIEWER: Oh yeah, I mean one of things that I guess I bring to my viewing of the film, sorry, is the perfective outsider or white person, um, and I’m looking around at Guam, and right, I’m looking at the University, where my colleagues and the faculty senate are about to, (light laughter), reduce the Gen-Ed requirement for languages, which the Chamorro Language Studies program has really protested, and I’m looking at like the Arnold Dave Davis case, which I’m not sure you guys are too familiar with?

MUNA BROTHERS: No we are not sorry.

INTERVIEWER: Where he is protesting the uhhh, uh, the decolonization registry that Ben Pangelinan started…

MUNA BROTHERS: Ohhh….

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, saying that it is not fair that only people who descended from the 1950… wait hold on. Those residents who lived on Guam who were made US citizens by the Organic Act in 1950, should be on registry. He is attacking it as a race based registry. Like Chamorros only. And so I guess I am seeing all of this sorts of racialized tension, right? Around whiteness around the Island and I just wondering if how about your perspectives… since the US did come in World War II, yes, right? And the Japanese, talked to colleagues about the comfort women during World War II and things like that but um, the US has stayed and I also listening to the voices of Chamorro activists on the island right? About the plans to bomb Pagan, right? Or the plans to do these destructive environmental exercises on Tinian, which is very habited right? Or the plans for a la ticsan (??). Um, so I just hmmm, your film evokes these feelings in me too. Yeah, those uncomfortable questions.

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeah, yeah, I don’t know if it safe to comment on that. (Light laughter) I don’t know

INTERVIEWER: The CIA and the…

DON: You can make my mind go wild if we are talking about, you know, that kind of stuff, the militarization and all of that stuff, you know how I feel, there’s the, you know, there can be endless endless amount of conspiracy, you know, and so, I think it goes as deep as that. To which conspiracy, I don’t know? But, you know, it goes deeper than cultural, it’s about you know, corporate, you know corporate, money, it’s about. So the big money wants to keep the big money so always they want to keep the big money so whether or not the bombing of pagan, you know, is a diversion or not, who knows?

INTERVIEWER: ooh…

DON: You know what I’m saying? It can be anything, it could be anything, it could be like oh yeah, we aren’t really gonna bomb a place because we know you are not supposed to bomb a place, we’ll get in trouble. You know? It will be a world, you know, issue. BUT you can say we’ll bomb it all the while we are tightening up our paperwork on the Organic Act here or what’s going on here, who knows? Who knows? So um, yes, you are absolutely correct like those, we wanted to put our stamp and time and say this is Guam now with Shiro’s Head, you know? We wanted to make a project that we wanted to show our kids and say “Look at what Daddy did long long time ago, you know, when we were young?” and um, so we put everything we had, you know, and we didn’t have much. Not at that time, so we just called up a bunch of friends and maxed out credit cards, Max Havoc our credit cards…

ALL: (LAUGHTER)

DON: And uh, we just freakin’ swung for the fences man, that’s pretty much what we did and we put all of it, we put our struggles, our family struggles in there, we put our observation of the island, our perspective and how we felt about the island, the people, and who we see when we look at certain people, um, we put all of that in there. So, yeah, we weren’t trying to hide it. You know?

DON: The tricky part was making the parallel for the surface film watcher, and then somebody who is a little bit more substantial diving into the story, like yourselves right, and then you able to dissect the different layers. The tricky part was making them both go in the same timeline…

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeah.

DON: You know? In a linear sense, so somebody can say, “Whoa did you see that gunshot!?!” (laughter), versus, “I see what they’re doing, their culture...” That was tough, from the production end.

DON: What I love most about Shiro’s Head, if I may, (laughter). What I love most about the movie is that if you don’t know Guam, you will just disregard as a piece of shit. You know? (laughter) Because it just doesn’t make sense. There’s so many loose ends, it’s, you know, rough, there’s not much dialogue, or interaction…

KEL: I don’t know I disagree, depends on what you are watching the movie for. What type of film watcher you are…

MUNA BROTHERS: Right! That’s what I am saying, That’s what I am saying that’s what I like most about it…

MUNA BROTHERS: Oh ok…

DON: … If you get it, if you get, then we are getting an interview. You know? If you don’t, you’ll be like, “ I watched it, I don’t even see… what it’s even about.” You know? It’s like, yeah

ALL: (Laughter)

DON: But it’s still, you know, they still, people still champion it no matter what. And like because it’s true, we didn’t try come in here and you know, and do what we couldn’t do or be too ambitious or try to gimmick you know?

KEL: I think that was one of the strongest points that resonated with audiences, was that, it wasn’t trying to be something it couldn’t be, you know. It couldn’t be… in a million years, be a Spielberg or anything close to that, and we knew that, and we had to you know, it’s like you invited me to your Fiesta, but I only have like Tuna in my cupboard cause I’m poor, so I’ll make you the best Tuna-something, but I’ll bring it to the party. You know it’s kind of like that, versus trying to bring something fancy that sucks and everyone hates it. (Laughter)

INTERVIEWER: No I love it, it’s so great. The film is so multi-layered and it’s so rich, I never get tired of watching it.

KEL: Appreciate that… yeah…

INTERVIEWER: I never do…

DON: That’s Kel’s thing though man, I can’t take credit for that. Every time Kel edits something in movies, the magic comes out. Forrealz, because he knows what he is doing.

KEL: Just because I’m sensitive…

ALL: (Laughter)

DON: He knows what he’s doing. Always brings out the magic.

INTERVIEWER: I feel like it taught me a lot about Guam.

MUNA BROTHERS: Really? Wow…

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, when I was very new here, and I was like…what is going? What is the character of Alina? What is she doing at the end of the film? Ohhhhh, she’s covering up. Ohhh, she has a….

DO: Well you probably had a pretty good, uhh, uh, commentator… (light laugh)

INTERVIEWER: I did, I had a very good commentator. He was like…

DON: If you watched with somebody else, he would have been like…

INTERVIEWER: He got so much of it that I would not think of, and yeah, I think the film’s usage of the Chamorro language to me is so touching, I can’t think of another film like this, really…

MUNA BROTHERS:… Thanks

INTERVIEWER: Like feature length, independent, (light laughter) film, made on Guam with Chamorro people, and other people, and using the Chamorro language, and it is so moving…

DON: We wanted to shoot the whole movie in Chamorro,

INTERVIEWER: Oh! Wow…

DON: But we didn’t know how to, my mom was too busy…

ALL: (Laughter)

DON: You know? It’s like, too busy, and then we had Kel’s friend, Roscoe, translate a lot of our script. And help me enunciate…

KEL: And he’s a white boy…

MUNA BROTHERS: Yeahhh….

INTERVIEWER: What? Oh my goodness…

KEL: (Laughter) Yeah, he’s German, and he speaks fluent Chamorro. Well, he grew up here…

INTERVIEWER: Wow…

KEL: His mother is Chamorro and his dad is from Texas, from the navy, you know that story. Yeah, every time he comes in the room I just bow down… yeah, yeah, whatever…

ALL: (Laughter)

INTERVIEWER 2: That’s how I feel about the person, who is not even full Filipino, or not even Filipino at all can speak full Tagalog. And I’m just like ehhh….

KEL: Yeah man, it is crazy…

INTERVIEWER 2: Awesome. (Laughter)

DON: Gotta give props…

INTERVIEWER 2: And my parents look at me, why can’t you be more like that… (Laughter) Because I am busy. It’s true…

DON: Busy getting a degree?

ALL: (Laughter)

INTERVIEWER: I hear Dr. Sauder (?) say once that language is the umbilical cord of culture, right? Laura Torres Sauder (?). The language is the umbilical cord of culture I think about that a lot with Chamorro Studies Program here and the things I hear from people and from my colleagues on that, um, why did you want to use the Chamorro language? You know? Why was that important to put in the film?

KEL: Can I go then you can go? Ummm, I think for us, it was simply, it was the perfect time to do so, adding everything else we put in from our lives, and our… personal perspectives, like Don was mentioning earlier. Part of it was Chamorro, in terms of the language, and um coming in, the 1 st thing you hear is the Chamorro language, through the monologue, and then he breaks out and you know, flicks a cigarette to the story. Snooze… But it had to be. Just felt right, like a gut movie, you know? And Guam at that time, and we were living in the States, we were living in LA. And you know, every time you are away from something, you tend to miss it more, and it just, overall, served it well. In terms of cultural representation, there has never been a movie out with it. Um, treated in a theatrical sense. You know what I mean? There has been video productions that has, but a theatrical movie hadn’t been done, and it was great for Production value and it really just embellished um, Vince’s character, you know? He’s not that guy, if you wanna get to know Vince, he got in deep since Vince’s character was relating so personally to the people, or to whoever he was talking to in purgatory, from his heart, and from his heart that is what comes out. It’s not like he is going to say, “Hi Guys…” (Laughter), you know? He’ll come in, and, and, and, put you, through, uhh, have you sit down on his couch. So to speak, you know what I mean, yeah?

INTERVIEWER: Hmm, oh yeah. It is great for the Character.

DON: The use of Chamorro language, um. Yeah, yeah, the timing was right. We knew the timing was right, it was all about the timing. Like Max Havoc, was actually an inspiration, for us, you know. A huge inspiration… Well, in a very weird way, you know? Um, because when it hit the news that Guam had, you know co-signed for close to a million dollars for a piece of shit movie that never even came out, you know? Never even came out…

INTERVIEWER: (Light Laughter)

DON: Mind you Kel and I had not ever made a movie before that, only wedding video productions, and test footage stuff, we weren’t even hobbyists. We just did it as Wedding video guys and you know…

INTERVIEWER: Wow…

DON: And our friend, the late James Castro. Sent us a VHS recorder tape recording of Max Havoc, I don’t know how he got it, must have been when he worked at KUAM or something, I don’t know, but he sent us the tape, we watched it and we were like… What? A million dollars? And we were like dude, we should make a movie bro.

KEL: And it was the dialogue, “You know what we can do with 100,000 dollars?”

ALL: (Laughter)

KEL: AHHH… Just give us a fraction of it. And so it was kind of like that, after that, we don’t have 800,000 dollars, but what we do have is a keen sense of timing, and emotional peaks and balances.

DON: Yeah, It’s just being able to see, why, and, you know…

INTERVIEWER: uh-hmmm.

DON: We’ve always been those type of guys who fantasize about the future, and about what things can be. You know? We’ve always been creating since we were young, so we had that ability to kind of see things that most people can’t see here. Which is like…uh, and um our 1st company, local company was called Foresight.

INTERVIEWER: uh-hmmm.

DON: And it so happens to be the name of Mike’s son too, you know? Right? I’m Chamorro.

INTERVIEWER: That’s right! Akli’ie! Oh my goodness, yes. Good vision.

DON: So, it’s that, able to see, you know, in the distance, and try to manifest that you know? So, um, like we knew the timing was absolutely right because you know, the dropout of Max Havoc, and dude we were like “That’s our opportunity!” We can get in there, we can, make a film, you know? Dude, at that time, I was pushing freaking shopping carts at Wal-Mart, in Santa Clarita.

INTERVIEWER: Oh my gosh…

DON: Yeah, that was my job at the time.

INTERVIEWER: Wow…

DON: So… yeah, we knew it was time, and it was about time. I was almost 30, I was almost 30…

KEL: No I was 30…

DON: I was past 30, say 34, we’re latecomers. Late bloomers (Laughs)

INTERVIEWER: You made such an amazing movie…

INTERVIEWER 2: Bless your hearts… (Laughter)… Because, because of Max Havoc.

INTERVIEWER: Have you Max Havoc?

INTERVIEWER 2: I did, unfortunately, as a young kid I watched it…

INTERVIEWER: Oh cool…

INTERVIEWER 2: … And I think it came out when I was in middle school?

DON: Max Havoc?

INTERVIEWER 2: Yeah…

KEL: Well, you know, I think their intentions were good, something just got skewed along the way.

INTERVIEWER 2: Yeah, yeah…

KEL: I… I mean now, fast forward 10 years…

DON: Whose intentions? Cause I know..

INTERVIEWERS: (Laughter)

KEL: I think the communities’.

INTERVIEWER 2: Yeah…

KEL: I think the communities’ intentions were good.

DON: Of course, of course.

INTERVIEWER 2: Guam was finally going to be in a movie…

KEL: I saw pictures of it, and saw the scenes, and they had huge, huge Hollywood lights, Tumon was shut down, great. They came together, and you know, then, you know however it got skewed it got scammed.

DON: I’m not, I’m just saying…

KEL: But if you fast forward 10 years, and I think, now… even though film had left a bad taste in people’s mouth it is gaining traction quietly and the film office is coming together. I think it had to happen, because now, uhhh, Guam and film, will be taken seriously in the sense of we’ll let’s see what you have in terms of your track record….

DON: Yeah, yeah…

KEL: Not gonna pull a fast one on us.

DON: Yeah now their tight.

KEL: Yeah now it’s tight. And so when the industry really starts to solidify, um soon. It will be very focused and um, you know, everyone will be a bit more aware.

DON: I am just going to put this out there, this is not GEDA’s fault.

INTERVIEWER: Oh yeah, yeah.

DON: They just got freakin’ bamboozled by you know, the Hollywood producer.

INTERVIEWER: Ah such a typical Hollywood story, bamboozled…

INTERVIEWER 2: Yeah. I didn’t even get to finish the film since it is such dissociation with what I grew up, and I think it is special thing to premiere it on cable.

MUNA BROTHERS: Right.

INTERVIEWR 2: So I watched it because I did see the pictures, and I’m like ok, how bad can it be. (Laughter) And I saw it, and I was do dissociated with it, cause it’s like…

KEL: But can you see similiarities though with Shiro’s Head because we wanted to…

INTERVIEWER 2: Yeah, yeah. If I show this movie to my family in the states, I have to be the translator…

MUNA BROTHERS: Right.

INTERVIEWER 2: … On Guam we have to do this, this is why it is like that. Ok? But I don’t know it’s one of those things that I am proud to say “Yeah, We did this, you should watch this.”

MUNA BROTHERS: Nice, Yeah, thank you.

INTERVIEWER 2: Even Talent town…

MUNA BROTHERS: Ah thanks, man.

INTERVIEWER 2: Talent town was one of my favorites, it’s like see? Why do I need to explain about Guam when there is an entire movie about what Guam people can do.

INTERVIEWER: Yes, that’s fabulous. I love that movie. So you’re working on another documentary right now?

DON: Yeah, Band of Bandits right now, it’s actually a DYA documentary, that has been, uhh, uh has been co-funded by DYA, actually no it has been entirely funded by DYA. (Laughter) Um so, but they basically contracted the Guam International Film Festival to create a film. Um, to help I guess understand the effects of banner advertisements, like Tobacco and Alcohol advertisements, like so, um, documentary, um, well it is shaping up right now so I couldn’t really tell you exactly, you know, everything that it is about, but I can tell you the intent. The intent is just alcohol prevention, like underage Alcohol prevention.

INTERVIEWER: So are these advertisements unregulated? Sorry, I was looking at your, your Instragram, yeah…

DON: They are partially, well, in terms of the type of advertisements, it’s unregulated. The real estate of the advertisement is regulated.

INTERVIEWER: Oh,

DON: But not in forced.

INTERVIEWER 2: Interesting.

DON: Oh yeah, don’t open that up.

ALL: (Laughter)

INTERVIEWER 2: I saw that pictures, I was like, “I can’t wait, when is it out?” Because I am following you guys and I see the pictures, and I see the little videos, and I’m just like, “chhhh, when is it out?” (Laughter) I am getting excited too, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Super cool.

DON: Thanks, that one is actually quite special because of the model, that we decided to create that project is cool because, we had never done something like you know, involved with like, uh, community, type of…

KEL: Organization?

DON: Not organization but like a, like a, a, like a purpose for, to change policy.

KEL: Allright.

DON: Like So, so, I mean it’s not a film created to do that, but it is a film that can do that…

INTERVIEWER: Oh sure…

DON: … And that is what DYA is invested in, is you know,um, if we’re able to educate through this film, then it would help them tremendously. So we want to be able to bring a stylize approach to the, you know…

INTERVIEWER: Yes, your stylized…

KEL: It is still not much from a far, um stretch from what we do.

DON: Yes.

KEL: The films we have done so far, the two, (laughs) are socially conscious films. And so it’s not, you know, it’s …

DON: We have a purpose too…

INTERVIEWERS: (Laughter). Yeah…

KEL: Right.

DON: Maybe one day, we do a CG-movie but… (laughs)

INTERVIEWER 2: Oh wow.

DON: That’s funny, one day will be the last day.

ALL: (Laughter)

INTERVIEWER: I was going to ask where do you feel like your energies were going and where is your future vision of? Whether it’s collaborating in the film industry or going more broadly, of course you are inspiring young local filmmakers, yeah.

DON: Yeah… That’s nice. Um I would like to… I would like to get back to the art. You know? Um, but I still think I have a good 4-5 years, I need to serve in, you know building the industry, and, you know, being able to… (deep breath) yeah push, push the envelope of, you know, of filmmaking. I feel like uh, not technically, you know? But from uh, uh, uh industry sense. A professional sense, because right now when people make films. Um, they just called their pars. They don’t have set production, you know? they don’t have a call sheet, they don’t have catering, they don’t have a budget. And I’m trying to push things in that direction, wherever I go, whoever I work with I want them to know that, like, this is how you create a film, you know? This is what you should expect. To, um, to have when you are working on a set. And, and also too how to adapt, to, you know, uh, Guam filmmaking. Because Guam filmmaking is totally different from anywhere else in the world, you know, we are unregulated. So, we are working on, you know, creating a regulatory body, which is the Guam Film Office, um, and, seeing that it’s good for the locals and good international money too, so that’s where I can see my efforts in the next you know handful of years or the few of years, establishing, you know, continuously establishing GIFF and its mission, and then, hopefully, sooner rather than later, I can be able to pick up a camera and learn it, you know you know? (Laughter) Nowadays it’s the technology man, it’s crazy. When we were shooting, it was 720 x 480, you know what that means? It means there are 720 pixels going one way, nowadays it is 4,000 one way. (Laughter). So that means technology is quadruple since our 1st film. Yeah, that’s crazy man.

KEL: That film has higher resolution…

INTERVIEWERS: (Laughing)

KEL: … Than with what we shot with, that’s real. Yeah…

INTERVIEWER 2: One of my classmates shot his entire film with his Iphone…

MUNA BROTHERS: Kyle?

INTERVIEWER 2: Yeah, Kyle. Kyle’s film was just like to me was “whoa” and as far as going to feature film, like dude, go for it. (Laughs)

DON: He’s probably, you know, one of the more aggressive filmmakers out there right now.

INTERVIEWER 2: And now it is pretty awesome for him, he partners up with Nancy, and I knew Nancy from school, so it’s like awesome. Like I was surprised about that pairing.

ALL: (Laughter)

DON: When they paired up…

INTERVIEWER 2: When they paired up, I was like…

DON: They paired up twice…

ALL: (Laughter)

INTERVIEWER 2: I was just like, I didn’t even know, I was like I knew her from school, we weren’t close but I knew her from school, Ah she’s into film I didn’t know that. (Laugh) But you know, it worked out and that (untelligible) and it’s amazing. So awesome.

INTERVIEWER: Is there anything you would like to say to the young filmmakers of the Island, or to the young people of the Island about cultural identity, and what we create that will last. Or anything, yeah…

MUNA BROTHERS: Ooh…

INTERVIEWER 2: (Laughs) 1st I would like to point out the union, the union of “oohs.” (Laughs) It was like so in sync. Especially with the cultural identity, “ooh…”

DON: Cultural identity, shit, I don’t know. I am still trying to find my spot there.

KEL: Hahha.

DON: No really, truthfully speaking right. You know I‘d love to learn Chamorro to represent my culture, umyou look at me stat wise, I shouldn’t be here.

INTERVIEWERS: (Laughs)

DON: I can’t cook, can’t barbeque, nah but seriously. (laughs) seriously, in serious terms, um, I don’t know, what would I say to them. Um, ok. I will say this because this is something I practice, um continue to practice, but not in such a, you know, a pomp and circumstances kind of way but you know just in everyday life. When you’re in doubt, which I am in all the time, um, and you need a direction to go. In terms of that for finding, or being secure in cultural identity, is you look at the people in your culture, that have done great things and emulate that, because you can’t go wrong. If you look at the greats that have, that have contributed to society or done something great, even if they rock the boat, whatever the case is, and even as far as your parents go you know, if there is something you can get from the people who have come before you, then follow that, then you’ll be doing exactly what they did. The people did before them, and you’ll be passing it on to the people that, you know, come after you. I’ll say that.

INTERVIEWER: That is so inspiring to hear you two struggle with these type of questions, not just me, not just some of my students…

INTERVIEWER 2: Like me…

INTERVIEWER: But somebody who is more successful. Oh sorry…

(muttered noise)

DON: That’s your phone?

INTERVIEWER 2: Yeah (laughs), sorry…

MUNA BROTHERS: That’s ok.

INTERVIEWER: But I think about, because I think about what Dr. Bevacqua is doing in Chamorro Studies, and I think about my students all the time, you know the young people, what do you say to them? Sorry, yeah, sorry. What do we advise them, you know? Probably follow your dreams even you have to Max Havocing your credits…

ALL: (Laughter)

INTERVIEWER: But you guys, look at this beautiful you have produced, and so, so singular, really, so singular, at this point, but in the future not so singular. They’ll be more, following in your footsteps. (Light Laughter).

INTERVIEWER 2: (Unintelligible)

DON: Umm, Culturally, and you mentioned something else.

INTERVIEWER: And sorry, sorry. Just in terms of anything you want to say, anything you want to say really. For me, I always think about things through cultural identity of young people or encouraging more works of art.

DON: Yeah ok, sure. I think for all the filmmakers, you, think about it. Like really just spend some time and thinking about it, and what you want your film to represent. Um because if you don’t have that it is just images and audio, you know, put together, and it won’t stay. You know? We wanting staying power and we wanted something that transcended through generations, and to create, you know those classicals, and you know, those timeless pieces. You know? You gotta stick with the basics, you gotta, you know, just put the meat and potatoes in it. And not necessarily, try to fancy it up or anything, you know. You just gotta make sure it is wholesome. And so that is what I would like to say people, that when you are creating projects, you know give it a purpose, even if it is the smallest of purpose, “you know, I just want to make the most technical film,” great, but you know give it purpose that way it will shine, with the finished product. Um and, for your culture, well I can only say what I know, and what I do, what I do, is to try pass on and perpetuate the culture through my passion, you know, and we had a question like that at FESTPAC, “you know guys do you feel like it’s your obligation to learn and speak Chamorro. “ and I am like, you know what, yes, you know, I do feel like there is some sort of obligation of mine, you know, um, and that’s why it makes it so difficult to be on my priority list, you know, because my passion is film, my passion is storytelling, and to make that transition means I have to commit to stopping one of the things I love to do and invest my time and self completely into this you

know, and so I say if you can’t speak the language, then find something you can do to integrate it, you know, with integrity, that’s it.

INTERVIEWER: Thank you so much for your time.

(Light Clapping)

End of Interview.