McPolly Koima, the producer and director of Nana, the recently screened film at Paradise Cinema Vision City, has spoken about the film. Koima was inspired to make the film after the passing of the Lukautim Pikinini Act in 2015. “In 2015, I was attending a workshop by NCD and the Lukautim Pikinini Office, after the bill was passed.” “As a filmmaker, I thought it was a good idea to create a film about these children, hence, I wrote the script.” “Unfortunately, I couldn’t get funding, so I put my work away and the script stayed locked away for seven years.” He stated that between 2021 and 2022, he received word of a proposed cultural grant from the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union through the South Pacific Community, that was the moment he sought out his script. “It was a long process to secure funding; it took two years.” Koima explained that production began in 2023 and ended in 2024. He expressed pleasure at being able to introduce this film to the people of Papua New Guinea and highlighted the possibilities of filmmaking in the country as well as challenges. “We have our talented actors, filmmakers, producers and directors here – we also have technology.” “The issue is there’s no funding.” Koima thanked the European Union for their support. “In PNG, it’s always a challenge to secure funding for films.” He further left a word of caution regarding the risks of Papua New Guinean culture dying out. “We need to document and tell our stories to the world.” “Our culture may be lost within 50 years’ time.”