Papua New Guinea Wraps Production on Record-Breaking Historical Drama

Papua New Guinea has completed filming for its most expensive movie to date, a $4.5 million historical drama titled "Mussau: The First Song." The production wrapped its principal photography after a 40-day shoot spread across two provinces.

Production Details

Filming took place on remote Mussau Island in New Ireland Province and in Goroka within the Eastern Highlands Province. The 120-person crew included 20 technicians from India and faced tough conditions due to limited infrastructure and patchy communications on Mussau Island, requiring a 30-hour sea crossing to reach. PNG-based producer NAFA Productions celebrated the wrap with a Thanksgiving event in Port Moresby, attended by government officials including Minister for Arts, Culture and Tourism Belden Norman Namah, Chief Secretary Ivan Pomaleu, and Chief Censor Jim Abani.

Plot and Cast

Set in the 1930s and inspired by a true story, the film follows a young islander named Taula Livovoa who leaves tribal violence behind to embrace a new faith. Indian filmmaker Bijukumar Damodaran directed the project, which features dialogue spoken across six languages, including several indigenous tongues at risk of dying out. The cast relies heavily on local community members making their screen debuts, alongside great-grandchildren of the historical figures who inspired the story and two British actors.

Context

Independent international co-productions often bring together technical crews from established film industries like India with remote local communities to preserve endangered indigenous languages on screen. These large-scale regional projects typically target major global film festivals and Academy Award submissions to boost local cultural visibility on the world stage.