Don and Kel Muna are a true blue personification of local boys. Arriving at the Inarajan Pool, our meeting spot, the brothers instantly greeted me with genuine smiles and introduced themselves. They couldn’t be any more down to earth, and any assumption that the popularity of Shiro’s Head has gone to their heads would have diminished within seconds of meeting them. The well-deserved hype for the movie has stabilized somewhat and Motions magazine is curious to know what the boys have planned for the future. One thing’s for sure—they’re here to stay.

MOTIONS: Tell us a little about the men behind the scenes.

DON: Well, where do I start? Thinking about my upbringing now that I’m an adult, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I spent a lot of time with family and was taught a lot about hard work, respect for our elders and just doing what you have to do to make ends meet. One thing I really loved about growing up on Guam is that I was exposed to so many different things, people with different ethnicities, different cultures, different beliefs. To me, it helped prepare me for the kind of work I do now.

KEL: My upbringing on Guam was pretty fun and full of imagination and family. I went to Agueda I. Johnston Middle School, George Washington High School and attended the University of Guam for a bit. Because we were latchkey kids, we weren’t introduced to any extra-curricular activities while we were growing up, so I never belonged to any academic clubs, or anything like that. I was too painfully shy to do so on my own, although I was a GATE student and made the all-island band (2nd timpanist) during high school. I did do well academically, but socially it wasn’t until high school that I came out of my shell.

MOTIONS: Did you always see yourself as being into the film industry?

KEL: Not until my late twenties. And even then, I never thought I’d become a filmmaker. I just thought I’d dabble in editing for a bit. Before then, I was contemplating on joining the U.S. Air Force, mainly because growing up on Guam, that’s just what you do. You either join the military or work for GovGuam. And I always thought that options were limited on Guam. But I found out later that it’s actually not the case. It’s just that on Guam, other career paths aren’t as nurtured and encouraged and we just follow the footsteps that are set in front of us. So, how do you know what you want if you don’t even know it exists, right? It wasn’t until after much thought I decided to go to film school. Right before I left Guam to pursue film school, I had just passed the U.S. Air Force

linguist exam with the highest marks to ever come out of Guam for that specific test. But, I had to follow my heart. So I went to film school.

DON: I’ve always believed I would be this big songwriter in the music industry. As a matter of fact, when Kel introduced the art and craft of filmmaking to me, it was only then when I even thought of exploring different avenues of creativity.

MOTIONS: If you weren’t doing what you are now, what do you think you would be doing?

DON: I love to work with my hands, so maybe a mechanic or a craft man of some sort.

KEL: I would like to think that it would be one of three things: a teacher, a pilot or a full time Search Engine Optimization analyst.

MOTIONS: What’s been your inspiration?

KEL: Wow. I really never know how to accurately answer this, and on any given day, I’ll probably have a different answer. But for today, I’ll say that the inspiration draws from a deep well of influences. For example, my Chamorro culture and the importance of family is the first that comes to mind. Beneath the surface layer of Shiro’s Head, if you look carefully, you’ll be able to pick apart the different sub-themes, layers and metaphors that are all tied in to the current state of Guam and it’s dwindling cultural awareness. Another would be other creative sources–my heroes such as the directing style of Clint Eastwood and the moment when Rocky stands alone in the empty ring. Also, the right place in our lives, our creative independence and our circumstances were all huge factors in pushing forward with Shiro’s Head.

DON: Well, let me talk about what inspired me to take a chance and make the movie. I have always been a very insecure guy, so I made a lot of bad choices growing up and most of the time when you make bad choices it detours you from accomplishing your goals in life. It got to a point when I so depressed and so unsure about my career in the arts I was about to give up, but growing up I was taught to never give up without a fight. So I fought and I took a chance on myself and Shiro’s Head was born.

MOTIONS: How much of your personal life would you say is portrayed in the movie?

DON: All of my personal life is portrayed in the movie. I am very inspired by everything and everyone around me.

KEL: Although it is fiction, there are a lot of true-to-life aspects implemented in Shiro’s Head. More than I thought, actually. For example, Don and I drew upon a lot of our childhood influences from what Guam was like for us growing up in the mid to late ‘80s. The impressions of our older cousins influenced the character and mannerisms of the character Vince. The family crest of the Minaguem family should be familiar to others who have been on island around the late ‘80s. The importance of family, religion and forgiveness are all true and strong life experiences that I’ve felt in my life that were either subconsciously or consciously implemented in the film.

MOTIONS: Do you have plans of releasing another feature film?

DON: Yes we do! Unfortunately, I can’t say exactly, but I can say that our goal is to turn the attention to Guam’s artists. We want to create an enormous buzz about the island and our talented people.

KEL: I can say that our projects from here on out will be Guam-based material. I was just at the movies the other day and the longest line was for a Filipino movie that was just released. I think that is so cool. One day, I’d like to see that as the norm for Guam-based cinema but Don and I can’t do it alone. So calling all you aspiring filmmakers out there, start making your movies and keep the momentum alive!

MOTIONS: Do you have any interesting hobbies and talents besides filmmaking?

KEL: I taught myself how to play the piano in the seventh grade. One day, a friend of mine brought one of those small Casio keyboards to school. I taught myself “Silent Night” during our ten-minute break. Twenty-one years later I’m scoring my own film! Yay! I’m so glad he brought it to school.

DON: I like singing and song writing and I also love playing football. My father plays the guitar and I can remember when I was about 3 or 4 years old, he would kick back and play in our living room while me and my brothers would fight over this one broken tennis racket so we could use it to pretend we were playing a guitar with my dad. After a lot of pushing and shoving, we would all sing along. And football, I grew up in the ‘80s while football was still about the game and not about publicity. I just loved to watch all the greats do what they loved to do.

MOTIONS: What were some of the challenges you faced making Shiro’s Head?

KEL: Oh man, the weather! Don and I made it a point to shoot the movie during dry season, which runs I think from February through August or something like that. But no matter what, the weather was still inconsistent which compromised a lot of our planned shots. One minute it would rain and the next it would be as bright as the sun. Shooting during inconsistent weather is like torture. Not to mention that when it was hot, man, was it hot! I give so much credit to the whole cast for being extremely kind and enduring throughout the whole production and not once did they ever complain about our low-budget shooting conditions during the craziest of days.

DON: For the most part I would say the budget. We couldn’t afford to pay anybody to help us behind the scenes. It was bad enough that our actors weren’t even getting paid and some of our actors even doubled as our crew! Thanks Matty!

MOTIONS: Have your expectations been met as far as how the movie was received?

DON: Yes! Exceeded my expectations as well. We didn’t expect so many people to see the love we put into the movie. So when they did, it was a feeling worth more than a million bucks.

KEL: How Shiro’s Head has been received has surpassed all that I’ve ever imagined. I am extremely thankful that Chamorros, Guamanians and islanders here at home or abroad have been kind enough to support the movie given its DIY production roots. Furthermore, the response has been phenomenal and has really changed my life to find out that it’s touched so many people’s lives in so many ways. I am just glad that viewers can connect with it for whatever the reason. To some it’s just a movie. To others it’s a cultural movement. So I am thankful for the time that the people have taken out of their lives to see it and to support it, even if it’s as simple as words of encouragement when they see us out and about.

MOTIONS: What else do you want people out there to know?

KEL: DVDs of Shiro’s Head are on sale online at www.shirosheadthelegend.com. On-island sales are located at JB’s Ukulele Hut in the Agana Shopping Center. If anyone has any questions or would like to drop me and Don a line, please visit our official site, www.guamology.com.

DON: We’re working on providing some fun and useful content about the island on the site. You know, if someone is just surfing the net and wants to get an organic feel for the island they could check out the site. Also I would like to thank everyone for believing in us and taking the time and effort to watch Shiro’s Head. We’re so grateful for everyone’s support. We understand that it’s hard times and so many people still came out and paid to see the movie. That means so much to me and Kel. Thank you again!