For the nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Papa Buka is a major milestone. It will be the first film from the country to be submitted for an Oscar, in the Best International Film category. But the film is a joint venture between India and PNG, with director Pa Ranjith being one of the producers.

Speaking about Pa Ranjith's support for the film to The Hollywood Reporter India, star Ritabhari Chakraborty said, "He believes in the film, and has believed enough to have funded the film as a producer and a creative producer. When I came on board, and I was the first one to do so, he was not one of our producers or presenters back then. Later when he joined that became a big achievement for the film itself."

Papa Buka is directed by Dr Biju, who won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam for Veettilekkulla Vazhi. The film is made in the language of Tok Pisin, an official language of Papua New Guinea. Along with Ranjith, the film is also produced by Noelene Taula Wunum, Akshay Kumar Parija, and Prakash Bare.

The cast for the film includes Sine Boboro, Prakash Bare, Rejeev Sharfma, Barbara Anatau, Clement Gima, Sukanth Agarwal, Yacob Oburi, and Ashi Agarwal, amongst others. Ricky Kej composes the score for Papa Buka