Don’t Tell Mother
Jurassic Park is in cinemas, smartphones don’t exist, and VHS rules at home. Anoop Lokkur’s outstanding feature debut offers a rare and rewarding glimpse into middle-class life in India, 1993. Against this backdrop, Lokkur has created anything but a simple nostalgia piece. Instead, he balances warmth and tenderness with sharp social critique as we observe the rhythms of everyday life for parents Lakshmi and Raju, and their primary school-age sons Adi and Aakash. Like a polaroid developing before our eyes, this finely wrought drama reveals its complexity and rings achingly true at every turn. First-time child actors Siddarth Swaroop and Anirudh P. Keserker are simply amazing as the brothers.
Special Guests
Anoop Lokkur is a Melbourne-based filmmaker, originally from Bangalore, India. He shifted paths from a career in the corporate world to study filmmaking at the Victorian College of the Arts. His short Long Distance screened at festivals including MIFF and Palm Springs ShortFest, and was later acquired by Canal+. A 2019 MIFF Accelerator Lab alumnus, his work explores the complexities of human relationships with a naturalistic style marked by intimacy and emotional honesty. His debut feature, Don’t Tell Mother, premiered at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival.
Tickets
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