A student film and a restored classic carry FTII’s legacy to Cannes

Pune: Two films connected to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have found a place at the 79th Cannes Film Festival this year, bringing together vastly different generations of Indian cinema on one international stage.

Shadows of The Moonless Nights, directed by FTII student Mehar Malhotra, has been selected for La Cinef, Cannes’ competitive section for student filmmakers from leading film schools across the world.

Meanwhile, the restored version of Amma Ariyan (1986) by FTII alumnus John Abraham, not to be mistaken for the action star, has been screened in Cannes Classics, the section dedicated to landmark restored films.

Malhotra’s Punjabi, Hindi and Marathi language film follows Rajan, a warehouse worker in Pune, struggling with exhaustion, sleeplessness and the strain of surviving night shifts in a city that barely slows down. The director said the story emerged from witnessing his aunt work punishing call centre shifts while returning hollow-eyed to a home too small for privacy.

“I wanted to make Shadows of the Moonless Nights because Rajan’s story felt like one we all carry but rarely name, the bone-deep fatigue of surviving a city that runs on sleeplessness,” Malhotra said. He described the protagonist as “not a hero or a victim”, but as an ordinary worker trying to endure relentless pressure.

The film uses long static shots of packing boxes, sparse dialogue and industrial soundscapes to mirror Rajan’s insomnia and emotional isolation. Malhotra said he wanted audiences to “recognise their own exhaustion” in the character and question systems “that demand we endure without pause”.

La Cinef is considered one of Cannes’ most closely watched discovery platforms for emerging directors. Previous filmmakers associated with the section have gone on to major international careers. Earlier FTII student films selected in the section include Afternoon Clouds in 2017, CatDog in 2020, A Doll Made Up of Clay in 2021 and Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know… in 2024, which won the La Cinef First Prize.

Alongside the student film, Cannes has also screened the restored Amma Ariyan by acclaimed Malayalam filmmaker John Abraham, not to be confused with the Bollywood actor of the same name. The 1986 film follows a group of friends travelling across Kerala to inform a mother about her son’s death, unfolding into a political portrait of youth unrest and social fracture. Its restoration was undertaken by the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) and preservation partners, continuing Pune’s long association with film restoration and cinema education.

“The last decade has been good for FTII in Cannes. This year, we are excited for Mehar and team. With alumni taken together, FTII shows up in almost all aspects of Indian presence at Cannes this year. These recognitions collectively underline FTII’s continuing role as one of India’s foremost centres of cinematic learning and as the custodian of a great legacy,” said Dhiraj Singh, vice chancellor, FTII.