By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Oct 28, 2008 at 8:07 AM

Most people who know Milwaukee's Nuna Minch, think of him as a musician in his eponymous band -- Nuna -- and especially as a musician who has overcome some serious obstacles. Two days after a serious car accident, Minch performed at Summerfest in a wheelchair and wearing braces on his neck and back.

But when Minch's debut film, "Brutal," screens Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Downer Theatre, that all might change.

Minch shot the full-length horror flick with a single digital camera and his friends starring a group of ghost hunters and documentarians searching a haunted river site in Caledonia for a missing boy.

"It is sure to push buttons and generate some controversy as most films that strive to go past the usual do," says Minch via e-mail. "The cast is new and fresh and much of the action is ‘real.'

"Budgets didn't provide for breakaway or padded walls or fake instruments of death. Concussions, broken bones and real blood were a daily outcome of shooting."

In addition to Minch, the cast includes Anya Minch, Andrea Minch, Mark Minch, Paddy Fineran, Mclain Kittleson, Michael Viers, Jacqulyn Rousseau, Roni Alwaise and Mike Schoen

Although the screening has sold out, there is am after party at The Monkey Bar, 1619 S. 1st St., and Fineran, Minch's manager, says other opportunities to see the film are in the works.

"As the Oct. 30 show sold out 12 days in advance a lot of people got stuck without tickets so we're going to try to get the movie into places like UWM Union Theater and Marquette and obviously hope for distribution," he said.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.