NFSA Restores: Tukana-Husat i asua | Special Screening at the NFSA, ACT

Tukana – Husat I asua (Who's to Blame) is Papua New Guinea's most significant feature film, telling the story of a university dropout who returns to his village in Buka Passage, Bougainville. Falling in with the wrong crowd, he becomes increasingly disconnected from his parents, community, and culture — a downward spiral that leads to tragedy.

The film was a groundbreaking collaboration between Australian director Chris Owen, a driving force behind the creation of the National Film Institute in Goroka, and Albert Toro, celebrated writer, director, actor, MP, and widely regarded as the father of PNG cinema.

This newly restored version was completed by the NFSA in partnership with Spectrum Films and gifted to the Institute in honour of Papua New Guinea's 50th year of Independence. The restoration is part of a four-year co-design project with the Institute, supported by the Australian Government's International Cultural Diplomacy and Arts Fund, aimed at helping preserve and improve access to PNG's film heritage.

The special screening will open with formal remarks celebrating the restoration of Tukana and the enduring partnership that made it possible.

Director: Chris Owen and Albert Toro
Writer: Albert Toro
Cast: Albert Toro, Regina Talsa, Wenceslas Noruke, Timothy Hamanin, Emily Beani, Francisca Semosa