Angh, the directorial debut feature of Naga filmmaker Theja Rio, has won the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). This win has earned the Nagaland-rooted film a direct entry route into the International Feature Film race at the 2027 Academy Awards.
Angh was the only Indian film selected for TIFF’s Platform competition this year. The platform jury praised the work for its “refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world”, while also commending Rio’s “vision, audacity and courage”. The film premiered on September 15th.
The film, set in Nagaland in the 1960s, follows the last surviving elderly Konyak chief and his son as the traditional way of life they follow faces a drastic change. The story explores the tension between ancestral beliefs and the arrival of Christianity, as the community is increasingly pushed to the margins and viewed as primitive. The film features a cast drawn largely from Indigenous Naga communities, alongside BAFTA-winning actor Douglas Henshall.
The film expands on a theme the director explored in his 2021 short film with the same name. Produced by Theja Rio and Nancy Nisa Beso, Angh also marks the feature debut of the Nagaland-based production house Winter Hymns Films. Jungle Book Studio is handling its international and domestic sales and distribution.
The Platform Prize comes with a CAD 20,000 cash award. More significantly, beginning this year, the prize carries a direct pathway to eligibility for the Academy’s International Feature Film category, making it one of the six international festival awards that offer this path. Unlike the usual process, the film does not need to be submitted by India to gain this eligibility.
This is particularly notable because Angh is not India’s official Oscar submission this year. The Film Federation of India has selected the Marathi film Gondhal as the country’s entry. Angh, however, can now enter the Academy’s consideration through its TIFF victory. It is eligible for consideration, but has not yet been nominated for an Oscar.
For Theja Rio, the recognition carries a personal significance. “It is a very special moment for me and for everyone associated with the film,” he told Variety, adding that the film was made with love for his homeland, its people and its culture.
