NEW DELHI: Nagaland-set "Angh", the feature directorial debut of Theja Rio, has won the prestigious Platform Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026, which makes the film automatically eligible for the International Feature Film category at the 2027 Oscars.
The film was the only Indian entry selected for TIFF's Platform Competition this year where it won the top prize on Sunday. One of TIFF's premier competitive sections, Platform is the festival's auteur-driven competition, dedicated to bold directorial voices and distinctive cinematic storytelling.
From this year, the winner of the Platform Competition receives an automatic qualification for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s Nagaland, "Angh" 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. Rio developed the feature from his 2021 short of the same name.
Shot on 16mm and featuring an Indigenous Naga cast alongside
BAFTA winning actor Douglas Henshall, the film explores the intersection of tradition, faith, family, memory and cultural transformation.
"Angh" is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Rio. The film is represented internationally & domestically for distribution by Jungle Book Studio, which acquired its international sales rights ahead of its TIFF world premiere.
"It is a very special moment for me and for everyone associated with the film. 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. These are some of the most universal emotions, and they belong to all of us. To see 'Angh' connect with audiences beyond our
own community has been deeply moving," Rio, 31, said in a statement post the film's win.
Beso, the producer of the film, said, "My collaboration with Theja has been one of the longest and most meaningful collaborations of my career. We have been carrying 'Angh' with us for many years from the short film to the feature and through all of it, 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."
Executive producer Gaurav Dhingra said, "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. To see it win the Platform Competition and earn a direct pathway into the Oscars' International Feature Film category is deeply moving, for 'Angh', for its makers, for Nagaland, for India and for independent cinema.
Dhingra, who has also backed films such as "Peddlers", "Faith Connections", "Stolen" and "Angry Indian Goddesses, said they are proud to connect a deeply rooted story with a global audience.
Marathi film "Gondhal", directed by Santosh Davakhar, is India's official selection for the International Feature Film category at the Oscars 2027.