17th BIFFes 2026
Jan 29th - 06th Feb 2026
"Woman: Shared Sensibilities, A Collective Voice for Equality"
DON'T TELL MOTHER
AMMANG HELBEDA
Set in 1990s Bangalore, a young boy endures corporal punishment at school while his mother quietly carries the weight of a deeply patriarchal world. When an unexpected tragedy disrupts their fragile routine, the family is forced to confront the silences they have learned to live with. DON’T TELL MOTHER is a tender, emotionally restrained portrait of childhood, grief, and the unspoken bonds through which love, care, and resilience slowly find their way back.
1990ರ ದಶಕದ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು. ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರಿಂದ ಕಠಿಣ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆಗೆ ಗುರಿಯಾಗುವ ಒಬ್ಬ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಹುಡುಗ ಮತ್ತು ಪಿತೃಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಸಮಾಜದ ಒತ್ತಡಗಳನ್ನು ಮೌನವಾಗಿ ಸಹಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಅವನ ತಾಯಿ—ಇವರ ಸುತ್ತ ಈ ಕಥೆ ಸಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಒಂದು ಅನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತ ದುರಂತವು ಅವರ ಬದುಕಿನ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯನ್ನು ಕಿತ್ತುಕೊಂಡಾಗ, ಆ ಕುಟುಂಬವು ಇದುವರೆಗೆ ಮುಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದ ಸತ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆ ಎದುರಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. 'ಡೋಂಟ್ ಟೆಲ್ ಮದರ್' ಸಿನಿಮಾವು ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ತುಮುಲಗಳು, ಅಗಲಿಕೆಯ ನೋವು ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರೀತಿ-ಕಾಳಜಿಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಬದುಕು ಮತ್ತೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಚಿಗುರುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಆಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಚಿತ್ರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
Producer(s) or Production Company:
Anoop Lokkur, Mikayla Henke, Matthew Jenkins
Screenplay:
Anoop Lokkur
Director of Photography:
Matthew Jenkins
Editor :
Pavan Bhat
Music :
Krishna Purohit
Anoop Lokkur is a Melbourne-based filmmaker born in Bangalore, India. He moved to Australia in 2007 and built a career in international business before turning to cinema. After studying filmmaking at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2015, he directed the short LONG DISTANCE (2019), which screened at MIFF and Palm Springs ShortFest and was later acquired by Canal+. A MIFF Accelerator Lab alumnus, Lokkur made his feature debut with DON’T TELL MOTHER (2025), which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. His work examines human relationships with intimacy and emotional honesty.