Overview

• Officials announced the selection on Aug. 27 at a Port Moresby press conference led by Minister Belden Norman Namah, National Cultural Commission chief Steven Enomb Kilanda, and Oscar committee chair Don Niles.
• Directed by Indian filmmaker Bijukumar Damodaran (Dr Biju), the Papua New Guinea–India co-production frames WWII connections through a veteran’s encounters with two Indian historians.
• 'Papa Buka' is slated to open in Papua New Guinea theaters on Sept. 19, 2025, followed by international festival screenings and planned awards campaign events in Los Angeles.
• The cast is led by 85-year-old tribal elder Sine Boboro with Ritabhari Chakraborty and Prakash Bare, and the film features Tok Pisin, Hindi, Bengali, and English.
• Producers describe the production as a skills-building effort, training more than 40 university students with over 60% of the crew comprised of women.