A passionate team of filmmakers in Melbourne Australia, dedicated to creating impactful stories that shed light on important social issues, came to the shores of Papua New Guinea to shoot a film.
The movie was recently shot in Makerupu village just along the Hula Lagoon in Central Province. The feature film is set to be aired around the time of celebration of International Women’s Day in March, it will first be aired in Australia and come to PNG cinemas weeks after.
The Filmmaker, Richard Sergeant, is the Director of Zolard media, in partnership with the PNG Women’s Association of Victoria – Australia aims to have this movie called Wounded Warriors raise awareness, encourage dialogue, advocate for change and promote Papua New Guinea’s tourism profile.
The feature film called ‘Wounded Warriors’ tells a powerful but heartfelt story of Laka, a young father determined to break free from the cycle of family violence. After discovering a hidden letter from his late grandmother, Laka embarks on a journey of healing, and redemption to create a legacy of love for his children. The film explores themes of generational trauma, colonialism, cultural conflict, and the enduring power of love.
“So we have been shooting for about nine days of shooting and we are on the last day now of shooting (Thursday 25th), after this there is editing and post-production that’s going to be done in Melbourne, so looking forward to that.
“Well, all the casts are local, some from Hula, Makerupu and some from Aroma. I first posted on Facebook and a few of them applied. But some I came to the village and chose which ones should act and they agreed. So most of the cast are first-time acting, they are also learning as well”, he said.
This will be the first film Sergeant is working on in PNG and the first lengthy film. Several of his works apart from Wounded Warriors were a homemade film including ‘Daddy’ which won three awards at the Tagore International Film Festival in India.
Although based in Australia, Sergeant is from Makerupu village where the story takes place. He desires to show what ordinary Papua New Guineans go through in terms of domestic violence and intergenerational trauma. Sergeant believes that cinema has the power to raise awareness, provoke discussion, and ultimately contribute to positive societal change.
His cast was not hard to find. Sergeant grew up here. He knows the area and its people.
“My nephew Richard introduced this film brief through WhatsApp and I was excited. When he came over I joined the team. I play the role of Numa, Numa is one of the violent men, I stand up for men. As for me taking part it’s not about enjoying only, but I’m also learning about violence against women and how it brings destruction to the family. Bringing the message out to married couples to stop violence against women, so I’m thankful to be a part of the message sent out,” said cast member, Toby Kema.
“My name is Grace Vanua, I’m playing Serah in Wounded Warriors. For Serah she is a village woman and married to this violent guy who loves fishing and drinking. I mean most of these local village women will relate to the life that Serah portrays. The purpose of me taking part is because I want to voice women out there that go through the violent trauma,” said cast member Grace Vanua.
An interesting turn to the movie is that Numa Numa Jnr, whose stage name is Jugu mahn, is a singer songwriter from Hula village. He plays the main character in Wounded Warriors.
“Music has been a part of me for the last 10 years and for acting it was a challenge for me, I wanted to do something different apart from singing. I'm so happy to be a part of the team. Music is slightly different you really feel the emotion in you and you sing, but this you have to put them into action,” said Numa.