The restored 4K restoration of the late filmmaker John Abraham's cult Malayalam film Amma Ariyan was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. It was attended by the film's lead actor, Joy Mathew, and editor Bina Paul, along with others.
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.
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.
While sharing the photos, the Film Heritage Foundation wrote, "A full house for FHF's restoration of John Abraham's cult Malayalam film Amma Ariyan (Report to Mother, 1986) last evening at the Cannes Film Festival 2026!!"
They added, "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.
The film also received a standing ovation at Cannes. "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," wrote FHF on their Instagram handle.