Feature Narratives · Filmmaker Q&A

Amma Ariyan Report to Mother

Directed by John Abraham

Screening at DIFF 2026

Sun1 10:00 AM to 11:55 AMSunday 1 Nov · PictureTime 3

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Runtime: 115 min
Year: 1986
Country: India
Language: Malayalam
Subtitles: English

Synopsis

Amma Ariyan was the iconoclastic filmmaker John Abraham’s final work. 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 and expansive meditation on memory, ideology and resistance.

Director

John AbrahamJohn Abraham was a radical filmmaker whose politically charged, people-centred cinema challenged dominant narratives in both form and content. Born in Kerala, he studied film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, where he was deeply influenced by Ritwik Ghatak. He made only four films…

Cast and crew

Producer: Odessa Movies
Writer: John Abraham
Cinematographer: Venu
Editor: Bina Paul
Sound: Krishnanunni
Music: Sunitha
Cast: Joy Mathew, Maji Venkatesh, Kunhilakshmi Amma, Harinarayanan, Nilambur Balan, Ramachandran Mokeri, Naseem, Venu K. Menon, Anand, Rashid, Hamsa, Sathian

Festivals and awards

Amma Ariyan was restored in 4K by the Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preserving India’s moving-image heritage. The restoration used one of only two surviving 35mm release prints and premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

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