Acclaimed Malayalam filmmaker Dr Biju’s upcoming film Mussau: The First Song went on floors in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Set in the 1930s, the film is inspired by the true story of Taula Livovoa, a young man from Mussau Island who rejects the violence expected of him as a warrior after undergoing a spiritual awakening.

According to the makers, Mussau is based on the life of one of the first Indigenous Seventh-day Adventist missionaries from Mussau Island and explores faith, identity and reconciliation against the backdrop of a major social transformation in the South Pacific. The film features an entirely Indigenous cast from Mussau Island, with every performer making their screen debut. It will also incorporate endangered Indigenous languages, including Mussau, Emirau and Agarabi, alongside Tok Pisin and English, while drawing on the region’s cultural traditions and oral histories.

Mussau follows Biju’s Papa Buka, an India-PNG collaboration about a forgotten chapter of World War II. The film was selected as PNG’s first-ever official submission in the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

A three-time National Award winner, Biju is best known for helming films such as Veettilekkulla Vazhi, Akasathinte Niram, Perariyathavar, Kaadu Pookkunna Neram and Adrishya Jalakangal.