Marking a historic milestone for Nagaland and Indian cinema, Angh, the feature directorial debut of award-winning Nagaland filmmaker Theja Rio, has won the prestigious Platform Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026. The win grants the film an automatic qualification for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.
Angh was the only Indian film selected for TIFF’s Platform Competition this year, which is the festival’s auteur-driven competitive section dedicated to bold directorial visions and distinctive cinematic storytelling.
Set against the evocative backdrop of 1960s Nagaland, the film follows an ageing Konyak village chief and his son, who remain among the last people holding on to their ancestral faith and way of life as their world undergoes profound change. Shot on 16mm film, it features an Indigenous Naga cast alongside BAFTA-winning actor Douglas Henshall.
Produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Theja Rio, with Gaurav Dhingra as executive producer, the film premiered at TIFF 2026 to an overwhelming response from the jury, media, and audiences. International and domestic sales rights were acquired by Jungle Book Studio prior to its world premiere.
Reacting to the win, director Theja Rio described it as a “very special moment,” stating, “I am aware that it is rare for a debut film to receive this kind of recognition, and all I can say is that we made Angh with a lot of love — for the place I come from, for my people and for our culture. At the heart of the film is the relationship between a father and son, but it is also about letting go, our relationship with home, and the transient nature of life.” Rio expressed gratitude to the jury for giving them the opportunity to represent the country and culture on global stages like TIFF and the upcoming Academy Awards.
Producer Nancy Nisa Beso highlighted the long journey from the initial short film to the feature production. “We held on to the belief that this was a story we had to tell, and that we had to tell it on our own terms,” she said, thanking the cast and crew who supported the project through uncertain times. Beso expressed hope that the recognition would encourage other filmmakers to take leaps and tell stories from their own communities, languages, and experiences.
Executive Producer Gaurav Dhingra has described the recent triumph of Angh at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as a landmark moment that extends beyond the boundaries of cinema. “Some moments become bigger than a film. This is one of them,” Dhingra remarked, recalling his initial reaction to the early footage. “When I first saw the rushes of Angh, I felt I was looking at something rare– a film born in Nagaland, made by Indigenous filmmakers, carrying the voice of a community rarely seen on the world’s biggest screens on its own terms.”
He expressed that watching the film win the Platform Competition and earn a direct pathway into the Oscars’ International Feature Film category was deeply moving– not just for the makers, but for Nagaland, India, and independent cinema as a whole.
The film was produced under the banner of Winter Hymns Films, a Nagaland-based production house making its feature film debut, in collaboration with story-driven media company Undercover Squirrel and distribution outfit Jungle Book Studio.