Auteur John Abraham-directed Amma Ariyan to premiere at Cannes 2026 in restored 4K version

The Cannes Classics segment this year will feature 21 feature films, three short films, and six documentaries. It will also include two contemporary works. The selected features include Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy feature Pan’s Labyrinth, Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine and Ken Russell’s The Devils.

Widely regarded as one of the most radical voices in Indian cinema, Abraham defied conventional storytelling, polished aesthetics and commercial frameworks to create films that were raw, collective and politically charged. ‘Amma Ariyan’ was Abraham’s final work of just four films that he directed before his untimely death in 1987 at the age of 49.

“Deeply opposed to cinema driven purely by profit, he envisioned ‘Amma Ariyan’ as a film by the people and for the people. It 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,” said the press note shared by FHF announcing the movie’s Cannes selection.

‘Amma Ariyan’ was not intended for conventional theatrical release but for a travelling cinema model that brought it back to the communities that made it possible. Set against the political turbulence of the 1970s in Kerala, it 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. Blending documentary and fiction through a non-linear narrative, the film unfolds as a letter from a son to his mother — an intimate and expansive meditation on memory, ideology and resistance.

A still from Amma Ariyan.

Dungarpur states, “This marks FHF’s fifth consecutive year at Cannes with a restored film. This year, we’ve brought back a rare gem of Indian cinema that was in danger of being lost. With no original camera negative and only a single surviving unsubtitled print, the restoration was particularly challenging. John Abraham was a true original, with a cult following among film students when I was at the Film Institute in Pune. Shot in a cinéma vérité style by Venu, the film blurs the boundaries between documentary and fiction.”

Actor Joy Mathew states, “I’m immensely pleased that John Abraham’s ‘Amma Ariyan’, made over 40 years ago, is being showcased at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The film marked my first lead role, making this recognition especially meaningful. Initially overlooked and sometimes dismissed by critics, the film’s revival is due to the meticulous restoration led by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, whose commitment of time and resources has made its Cannes screening possible.”

According to Mathew, the film stands out in three ways — it challenged commercial filmmaking by being funded entirely through small public contributions; it rejected conventional theatrical release in favour of screenings in public spaces; and it adopted a distinctive docu-fiction form that reflects the socio-political climate of the 1970s and 1980s, including the complexities of leftist movements of that period.

Recalling his experience of shooting ‘Amma Ariyan’, cinematographer Venu ISC says: “After two acclaimed films, John Abraham was unable to find a producer and he responded by challenging the dominance of capital in filmmaking. The Odessa Collective was formed not only to fund the film, but also to distribute it through non-traditional means. This spirit shaped how we shot the film. We chose 35mm black-and-white and worked largely handheld, in a near-documentary mode. I would often be behind the camera while John pushed me into real crowds—people who were not just actors, but participants.”

Calling Amma Ariyan “one of the best films” Cannes Classics segment has received this year, Gerald Duchaussoy, head of this festival segment, said: “I was blown away by the intensity which spread throughout the film, the camera movements, the black and white imagery and the political atmosphere.”