Filmmaker Abraham's 'Amma Ariyan' 4K restoration premieres at Cannes 2026
Big news for Indian cinema fans: Amma Ariyan, the legendary Malayalam film by John Abraham, is making a comeback in a freshly restored 4K version at Cannes 2026.
It's the only Indian movie picked for a premiere at Cannes 2026 and stands out for its bold mix of politics and poetry on screen.
The restoration was a team effort by Film Heritage Foundation, L'Immagine Ritrovata, Digital Film Restore, and Odessa Collective.
'Amma Ariyan' funded by public donations
Amma Ariyan was ahead of its time, funded entirely by public donations and shown in villages instead of regular theaters.
Shot in a raw, documentary style, it dives into Kerala's political struggles of the 1970s.
Restoring it wasn't easy; experts worked from one of just two surviving film prints.
Thanks to passionate folks like Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and his team, this classic is getting new life—and reaching a whole new generation—on one of the world's biggest stages.