Naga Film ‘Angh’ Wins Platform Award at Toronto International Film Festival

Nagaland-set film “Angh”, the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Theja Rio, has won the prestigious Platform Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026, marking a major international achievement for Indian independent cinema.

The film, which was the only Indian entry selected for TIFF’s Platform Competition this year, received the top prize on Sunday. Platform is one of TIFF’s premier competitive sections, highlighting distinctive filmmaking and bold directorial voices. From this year, the Platform Competition winner receives an automatic qualification pathway for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.

Set in 1960s Nagaland, “Angh” follows an ageing Konyak village chief and his son, who are among the last members of their community holding on to their ancestral faith and traditional way of life as their world undergoes profound change.

Rio developed the feature from his 2021 short film of the same name. Shot on 16mm and featuring an Indigenous Naga cast alongside BAFTA-winning actor Douglas Henshall, the film explores tradition, faith, family, memory and cultural transformation.

Rio, 31, described the win as a special moment for everyone associated with the film. He said the story was made with love for Nagaland, its people and culture, while its central father-son relationship also explores universal themes of letting go, home and the transient nature of life.

Producer Nancy Nisa Beso said her long collaboration with Rio began with the short film and continued through the feature, adding that they remained committed to telling the story on their own terms.

Executive producer Gaurav Dhingra said the film represents a rare work born in Nagaland and made by Indigenous filmmakers, bringing the voice of a community rarely seen on major international screens.

“Angh” is produced by Beso and Rio, while Jungle Book Studio represents the film internationally and domestically for distribution after acquiring its international sales rights ahead of its TIFF world premiere.