The restored 4K version of late filmmaker John Abraham’s cult Malayalam film “Amma Ariyan” was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on Jattvibeday and received a standing ovation.The screening was attended by the film’s lead actor Joy Mathew and editor Bina Paul.The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), which played a major role in restoring the movie, marked its fifth consecutive year at Cannes with a restored classic.Taking to Instagram, FHF shared glimpses from the screening of the movie, stating that the film was screened to a full house and introduced by Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux, FHF director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, lead actor Joy Mathew and editor Bina Paul.While sharing the photos, FHF 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 the making of the film and their experiences working with the 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 selected this year for a world premiere at the prestigious festival,” wrote FHF on their Instagram handle.“Set against the political turbulence of 1970s 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 meditation on memory, ideology and resistance,” read the official logline.Widely regarded as one of the most radical voices in Indian cinema, John Abraham defied conventional storytelling and commercial frameworks to create films that were raw, collective and politically charged.In 2001, the British Film Institute included “Amma Ariyan” in its list of the 10 greatest Indian films of all time. Writer KM Seethi described Abraham’s vision as: “John Abraham belonged to a rare breed for whom cinema was not just an art, but a public act of resistance, thought and love.”“Amma Ariyan” (Report to Mother) was Abraham’s final work of just four films that he directed before his untimely death in 1987 at the age of 49.Film Heritage Foundation’s previous restorations, such as Thamp (Aravindan Govindan), Ishanou (Aribam Syam Sharma), Manthan (Shyam Benegal), Aranyer Din Ratri (Satyajit Ray) and Gehenu Lamai (Sumitra Peries), have all had red-carpet world premieres at Cannes between 2022 and 2025.