Papua New Guinea's Priciest Film 'Mussau: The First Song' Wraps

Papua New Guinea's most expensive film to date — the $4.5 million historical drama "Mussau: The First Song" — has wrapped principal photography after a 40-day shoot across two provinces.

Filming took place on Mussau Island in New Ireland Province and in Goroka, in Eastern Highlands Province. PNG-based producer NAFA Productions marked the wrap at a Thanksgiving event in Port Moresby on Saturday. Government figures at the event included Belden Norman Namah, Minister for Arts, Culture and Tourism; Chief Secretary Ivan Pomaleu; and Chief Censor Jim Abani.

Indian director Bijukumar Damodaran, a three-time Indian National Film Award winner, directed the film. Parul Agrawal produces, and Noelene Taula Wunum serves as executive producer.

What is the film about?

Inspired by a true story and set in the 1930s, the drama centers on Taula Livovoa, a young islander who walks away from tribal violence and takes up a faith that is new to him. His choice triggers sweeping social change that the producers rank among the South Pacific's most remarkable.

The dialogue runs in six languages: Mussau, Emirau, Agarabi, Gadsup, Tok Pisin and English. Several of these are indigenous languages with small speaker populations at risk of dying out. The producers present the film as a way to protect the country's linguistic and cultural heritage and carry it to a global audience.

How did the shoot work?

Much of the cast came from the local community, and many are acting on screen for the first time. Some had never watched a film before. Several roles are played by great-grandchildren of the real people whose lives inspired the story. Two British actors round out the ensemble.

Mussau Island offered little infrastructure and patchy communications, which made the shoot hard to pull off. The 120-person crew — 20 of them technicians from India — spent 30 hours at sea crossing the Pacific to reach the island. Temporary lodging and facilities were built on site. Islanders helped throughout, including on sequences shot in the sea at high tide. The unit then moved to Goroka to finish filming.

"This has been one of the most challenging and rewarding journeys of my filmmaking career," Damodaran said. "The people of Mussau welcomed us into their lives, their culture and their history, and their contribution has been invaluable. Having descendants of the original historical figures portray some of these characters, alongside community members who had never seen a film before, made this journey even more profound."

Who made it?

Hilda Tanimia wrote the story. The screenplay is by Jennifer Litau, who also served as translator, along with Joses Imona and Damodaran. Yedhu Radhakrishnan is the cinematographer and Davis Palakal Manuel the editor. Arnold Laena handled production design and Gladice John designed the costumes. The music comes from Music Masters of PNG and the Murat Choir. The cast includes Freddy Sutchiff, Candy Ali, Daniel Lee Hird, Kevin Jackson, Jamie Napo, Calvin, Alan Balalua, Frank Eke and Dolvin Aite.

What does this change for PNG cinema?

NAFA Productions wants the film to bow at a top-tier international festival in 2027. It also hopes the film will become Papua New Guinea's official entry for best international feature at the 100th Academy Awards.

Damodaran has made that run once before. His earlier PNG–India co-production "Papa Buka" was the first film Papua New Guinea ever submitted to the Oscars' international feature race. If "Mussau" repeats the trip with a festival premiere behind it, the country's most expensive production could also become its most visible.