Amma Ariyan, the final film by prolific Malayalam filmmaker John Abraham, will have the world premiere of its restored 4K version at the Cannes Film Festival. The Malayalam classic is the only Indian feature selected for a world premiere at the 79th edition of the festival from May 12 to 23.
Announcing the selection on social media, Film Heritage Foundation said, “In a milestone achievement, FHF returns to the Cannes Film Festival for the 5th consecutive year for the world premiere of our 4K restoration of John Abraham’s cult Malayalam film Amma Ariyan (Report to Mother, 1986).”
The restoration was carried out by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata and Digital Film Restore Pvt Ltd in association with the Odessa Collective. The restored version was sourced from one of only two surviving 35mm release prints preserved at the National Film Archive of India.
Amma Ariyan will be presented at Cannes by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of Film Heritage Foundation, along with the film's lead actor Joy Mathew, cinematographer Venu and editor Bina Paul.
Widely regarded as one of the most radical voices in Indian cinema, John Abraham directed only four films before his death in 1987 at the age of 49. A student of the Film and Television Institute of India, he became known for his politically engaged and unconventional approach to cinema.
Set against Kerala’s political landscape, Amma Ariyan follows a group of activists travelling to inform a mother about her son’s death. Blending fiction and documentary elements, the film went on to become one of the defining works of Malayalam parallel cinema and remains a landmark in Indian film history.