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Malayalam classic Amma Ariyan gets standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival
Amma Ariyan, by John Abraham, is the only Indian film to be selected at the Cannes Film Festival this year. It screened in the Cannes Classics section.
The restored 4K version of filmmaker John Abraham's cult Malayalam film Amma Ariyan was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), which played a major role in the restoration of this cult classic, marked its fifth consecutive year at Cannes with a restored film.
Amma Ariyan at Cannes
Taking to their Instagram handle, FHF shared the glimpses from the screening of the movie. "The film was screened to a full house and was introduced by Thierry Fremaux, Director of the Cannes Film Festival, FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, lead actor Joy Mathew and editor Bina Paul," wrote FHF. The screening was attended by the film's lead actor, Joy Mathew, FHF head Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, and editor Bina Paul, along with others.
Sharing the pictures, the Film Heritage Foundation wrote via their Instagram account, “A full house for FHF's restoration John Abraham’s cult Malayalam film ‘Amma Ariyan’ (Report to Mother, 1986) last evening at the Cannes Film Festival 2026!! The film was screened to a full house and was introduced by Thierry Fremaux, Director of the Cannes Film Festival, FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, lead actor Joy Mathew and editor Bina Paul. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur spoke about John Abraham’s legacy as an inspirational filmmaker, while Joy Mathew and Bina Paul reminisced about the making of the pathbreaking film and working with the iconoclastic filmmaker.”
It added, “Four decades after it was made, the film that was never released commercially, got a standing ovation at Cannes. 'Amma Ariyan' is the only Indian feature film to be selected this year for a world premiere at the prestigious festival.”
In another post, FHF wrote, “The film was introduced by Thierry Fremaux, Director of the Cannes Film Festival, FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, lead actor Joy Mathew and editor Bina Paul. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur spoke about John Abraham’s legacy as an inspirational filmmaker, while Joy Mathew and Bina Paul reminisced about the making of the pathbreaking film and working with the iconoclastic filmmaker.”
About Amma Aariyan
Amma Ariyan is set against the political turbulence of 1970s Kerala and follows Purushan, who sets out to inform a mother of her son's death, gathering companions along the way in a journey that becomes both personal and political.
The 115-minute-long film was produced by the Odessa Collective, a group of film enthusiasts co-founded by Abraham, who sought to break free from mainstream production and distribution systems.
In a radical experiment, members of the collective travelled from village to village beating drums, performing street plays and screening films to raise funds directly from the public. The film was not intended for conventional theatrical release but for a travelling cinema model that brought it back to the communities that made it possible.
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