The Stirring Place is a Chamoru coming-of-age dramedy that tackles the theme of identity and what it means to call yourself Chamoru, or anyone. While the main character struggles to form his identity through his Chamoru heritage, Chamorus struggle to form a collective identity from centuries of colonization and occupation. That struggle continues today with America's growing military presence on Guam, and Chamorus continuing to benefit from this close tie with the United States. The story asks if the main character can accept being Chamoru if it means having to alienate his military-dependent family while also carrying the burden of colonization.

Synopsis

Mateo is the eldest son of the Flores family, a Chamoru military family living in Los Angeles. He’s in the midst of an identity crisis with his father, Pedro, expecting him to join the military, which his younger sister, Ella, finds amusing. When they learn that their Uncle Jesse died serving in Iraq, the family embarks on a trip to the Pacific island of Guam to attend his funeral.

On Guam, Mateo and Ella visit their family’s beachfront property, located next to a planned military shooting range. Here they meet a group of Chamoru activists protesting the buildup. The leader, Lani, challenges Mateo's Chamoru-ness by inviting him to join their cause. This leads Mateo on a journey of self-discovery, but as he and Lani get closer, it causes tension between him and Pedro.

When Mateo stands up to the military and defies Pedro, he ends up literally living off the land on his family’s property. Here, Mateo must confront his family and the military’s impossible forces, forging a last stand along the ‘stirring place’ of his ancestors. Here, Mateo will learn for himself what it really means to be Chamoru.

Guam

The Pacific island of Guam is promoted as ‘where America’s day begins.’ To America’s military, this U.S. territory is better known as ‘the tip of the Pacific spear.’ Although there is growing concern among indigenous Chamorus regarding Guam's military strategic use, Guam also has the highest per-capita enlistment rate in the U.S. military. In the story, we experience the island through Mateo's perspective as he visits this exotic location, but then confronts the complex reality of Chamoru life under U.S. military influence.

Litekyan

Located along the northwestern coast of Guam, Litekyan is the site of a wildlife refuge that preserves ancient Chamoru ruins. Litekyan translates to 'the stirring place,' in acknowledgement of our Chamoru ancestors who lived here 3,500 years ago and whose spirits (taotaomonas) are believed to inhabit the jungles. Litekyan is located at the base of a limestone cliff, on top of which is now located a state-of-the-art military shooting range. During live fires, the shooting range’s buffer zone closes access to Litekyan and makes it vulnerable to the shooting range's environmental impact.

Creator's Statement

Of everything I’ve written so far, The Stirring Place is my most personal. I saw with it an opportunity to express the many thoughts and feelings I’ve absorbed growing up mixed-race in Guam. My life has felt full of contradictions, but I realized that so is Guam’s relationship with the United States. This cast a wide gray area that I wanted to explore to work through the mixed feelings I have about Guam's relationship with the U.S. It also meant acknowledging that Chamorus have benefited from it. This contradiction presented no clear answers, with no clear heroes or villains, and I thought that could make for an interesting story.

Previous short films I've made have featured Chamoru stories. They included our mythology when a bullied boy ventures into the jungle to capture a taotaomona. It included our music when a Chamoru cultural foundation learns how to create a chant over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, it included our history when a Chamoru WWII survivor encounters a Japanese soldier straggler 27 years after the war ended. These short films were fortunate to receive federal funding and have screened at Pasifika film festivals and Pasifika museums, reaching audiences throughout the region.

Team

Neil Tinkham, Writer and Director

Neil, of the Flores Cabesa and Bonic clans, is originally from Guam. His short movies have received funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Pacific lslanders in Communications, Guam Council for the Arts and Humanities Agency, and National Endowment for the Arts. They have screened at various film festivals as well as at the Guam Museum and Hawaii's Bishop Museum. His feature-length screenplay The Taotaomona, which features Chamoru mythology, was selected to the 2022 Indigenous List, compiled by the Sundance Institute, ImagineNative, and The Black List.

Joey 'Q' Quenga, Producer

Joey, of the Quenga Bibang clan, is a multi-talented media executive with an impressive track record in the entertainment industry. He co-founded Island City Media Group, a creative media agency that creates original content for television, film, and digital platforms. Under his leadership, the company has produced countless content, commercials, and other projects that showcase Pasifika’s unique culture and history. Recognizing the power of visual storytelling, Joey co-founded the Los Angeles Pasifika Film Festival and serves as a cultural consultant for Disney.

Lailanie Gadia, Producer

Raised on Guam, Lailanie Gadia is a Filipina American community builder, film producer, and financial professional based in Los Angeles. She is the Operations Director at the Asian American Documentary Network, where she also helped series produce Emmy-nominated and Silver Anthem award-winning 2022 Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond shorts. Her credits include Dive Bar (Alaska Airlines), Third Act (Sundance 2025), and the upcoming winning shorts, Milk & Honey and Bridging Our Stories.

Freddie Gutierrez, Producer

Freddie, of the Gutierrez Cueto, Berah, and Fungo clans, is Chamoru from the island of Guam, and being a military brat, he’s lived all over the world. In 1999, he sold his first screenplay to MGM Studios, and his professional writing career started. Since then, he’s written for Eddie Murphy, Kevin Hart, Snoop Dog, Method Man, and Red Man. He’s written on Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon Network. In 2021, he also wrote a script for Santiago of the Seas for Nick Jr, which was the first show in TV history to have ancient Chamoru spoken on TV.

Myracle Mugol, Producer

Myracle is a Filipina-Guamanian storyteller, producer, and entrepreneur. Her film credits include Tradewinds, Along the Ugum River, Kantan Hereru: The Blacksmith’s Song, Maisa: The Girl Who Saved Guahan, and Mga Dayo: Resident Aliens. She is a partner for Tao Pacific Designs and Starsand Marketing and the founder of If Anything. She also works as the Program and Development Manager for Guampedia. All her efforts result in a blending of her creative vision with a commitment to advocacy, storytelling, and community building.

Project: Inspire

Project: Inspire is a Guam-based production company dedicated to creating impactful and thought-provoking content across film, television, and digital platforms. With a mission to inspire, educate, and entertain, they focus on storytelling that amplifies underrepresented voices, showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Pacific, and sparks meaningful conversations. Whether through documentaries, narrative films, or branded content, Project: Inspire strives to push boundaries and set new standards in media production while staying true to its core values of authenticity, innovation, and inspiration.

Budget

Currently, The Stirring Place is in the development phase. The script is complete, casting is underway, and we are securing financing to begin production. Financing will also be sought through investors and grants, and to date, we have approximately $20K in personal contributions. However, with cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, we're unable to apply for grants through Guam's cultural agencies. That's why this Seed & Spark campaign is so important.

Through this campaign, we are looking to secure an additional $50K that will go towards our production budget. This includes payments for cast and crew, equipment, and production design costs (sets, wardrobe). Every penny counts, and the goal is to make this film with a budget that ensures everyone involved is compensated, and in turn, we can offer you a quality film.

Timeline

Fiscal Sponsorship

We are excited to partner with the Kutturan Chamoru Foundation (KCF), which will serve as the campaign's fiscal sponsor. This means that all donations made will be tax-deductible. KCF is a Chamoru cultural foundation that preserves and proliferates Chamoru culture through song, dance, language, and career guidance. For over 30 years, KCF has bridged the thousands of miles between our island home in the Marianas and their home in Long Beach, Southern California. They have been a great supporter of our story from the very beginning!

Additional Information

If you are interested in becoming an investor instead, you can reach us at [email protected]. We'll share our full business plan, including investment tiers and financial projections.

More Ways You Can Help:

1. Follow our Seed & Spark Campaign - even if you aren't able to donate, following this campaign helps make us eligible for additional funds and resources from Seed & Spark.
2. Follow us on social media - The Stirring Place is on Instagram (@thestirringplacemovie). Follow us for updates on the campaign and on the project's development.
3. Spread the word - tell everyone you know about this! Share our campaign page and social media posts.

FAQs:

If you hit your goal, what happens to the money you make after that?

If we reach our initial fundraising goal, we can stretch the goal to accommodate additional donations. They'll continue to go towards the film's production and cover other expenses - there's a lot for a feature film! Additionally, increasing the amount we fundraise can entice potential investors by lowering the needed investments and reducing risk.

What happens if you don't reach your goal?

Seed & Spark requires us to reach at least 80% of our goal for donations to be transferred to us. If we reach only 80% of our goal, our team is responsible for raising the rest independently. If we're unable to reach the 80% mark, we won't receive any donations, you will not be charged, and campaign incentives will not be delivered.