Restored Amma Ariyan, Half in Toronto film festival line-up

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will screen a restored 4K version of John Abraham's 1986 film Amma Ariyan in its Classics section. Malayalam action drama Half, directed by Samjad, becomes the first Malayalam film selected for TIFF's Midnight Madness slate, The News Minute reports. Other South Asian entries include Richie Mehta's Phoolan, Ian Bawa's Strong Son, and Roshan Sethi's The Surgeon.

The Economic Times reports that restored Indian films have this year appeared in all four major festivals, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Toronto. Earlier, Amma Ariyan was shown at Cannes Classics, and Dev Benegal's English, August (1994) will screen in Venice Classics. The restorations, led by the Film Heritage Foundation and the National Film Archive of India, underscore the fragility of film stock and the need for conservation. The festivals take place in September.