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Ricky Kej’s music accompanies Papua New Guinea’s Oscar journey

Grammy winner draws on tribal sounds for Dr. Biju’s international film

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Ricky Kej’s music accompanies Papua New Guinea’s Oscar journey

Grammy winner draws on tribal sounds for Dr. Biju’s international film

Ricky Kej’s music accompanies Papua New Guinea’s Oscar journey
Ricky Kej’s music accompanies Papua New Guinea’s Oscar journey 

Papa Buka, Papua New Guinea's first ever official Oscar submission, features a background score composed by three time Grammy winner Ricky Kej.

The film, which was directed by Dr. Biju (Bijukumar Damodaran), a three time National Film Award winner, was chosen for the Best International Feature Film (Tok Pisin) category.


Calling it a proud moment, Padma Shri awardee Kej says, “It’s the first step on the Oscars race, but for me, the joy lies in creating music rooted in history that dates back over 3,000 years. This collaboration between India and Papua New Guinea tells the story of Indian historians searching for an indigenous World War II veteran to uncover forgotten secrets.”

For the score, Kej drew inspiration from tribal sounds. “It’s a very subtle film, so the music had to be in sync with it. I studied raw tribal music, indigenous instruments, jungle sounds, rhythms, archival recordings and natural sound-scapes to create it,” he says.

Actors Sine Boboro, John Sike, Ritabari Chakraborty, and Prakash Bare play important parts in the movie.