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Theja Rio’s directorial debut Angh, which was set in Nagaland and based on Konyak culture, has now been selected for an Oscar race, after winning the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
TIFF 2023: ‘Angh’ wins People’s Choice Award Best Indian film at TIFF platform Angh The film was awarded on 20 September at TIFF. This is the only Indian film that has been part of the Platform Competition this year at TIFF. The award will enable Angh a direct entry at the 2027 Oscars in the newly-formed International Feature Film category of the Academy. ([TIFF][1])
This is a cause for celebration as Angh was not the movie India officially selected for Oscars. That honour went to the Marathi film Gondhal. Now, thanks to the Toronto award, there is an additional pathway for Rio’s film.
Angh Wins the Platform Prize
The Platform Competition, one of TIFF’s signature competitive categories, is dedicated to films with a striking directorial presence and promotes a global meeting of filmmakers.
12 films were in the section this year, chosen from over 4,000 entries from nearly 90 countries. From India, only Angh was in the competition. ([The News Minute][2])
The jury of the Platform section awarded the prize to Angh at its world debut during the festival.
The jury commended the film for its originality, filmmaking and depiction of a vanishing world. The jury mentioned Rio for his direction of the story and his feature debut as a director. ([India Today NE][3])
$20,000 CAD cash prize is included.
The recognition for Rio is especially meaningful because Angh marks his debut as feature director. It is a film based on the story and community which few others have focused on to this extent.
A Story From 1960s Nagaland
Angh is based in Nagaland in 1960s.
The narrative revolves around an elderly Konyak village chief and his son, who are among the few remaining members of their community to cling on to the old way of life and that tradition.
The lives of the villagers are transformed by an American missionary.
With Christianity diffusing into the community and the villagers starting to depart to seek further livelihood, the village headman still clings to the traditions and styles that he has inherited, and his universe is getting more and more restricted. Only his ailing wife and his son, who is also voiceless, are his companions.
The film explores these themes of faith, family, memory and cultural change within the microcosm of this small family and their village. ([DIPR Nagaland][4])
It also has a strong linkage to the Konyak community and the dynamics of change in Nagaland at that time.
The Film Was Shot on 16mm
The film stays grounded in its place for a number of reasons, according to Rio.
Angh was shot on 16mm. In addition to Naga indigenous actors, the film includes a well-known Scottish actor, Douglas Henshall, who has performed in numerous film and TV productions ([DIPR Nagaland][4])
The shoot did not have the advantage of the large resource of professional actors available to India’s larger film industry.
Rio has also mentioned some of the difficulties of making a cinema in Nagaland, when the industry itself is tiny. For Angh, he and his team sought out villages and villagers to fill the roles of characters with ties to the film world.
This process involved members of the local community in the production rather than constructing the entire cast around wellknown faces. ([Hindustan Times][5])
Theja Rio’s Connection With Nagaland
Rio is from Nagaland and has set the story of Angh in a location and culture he is familiar with.
Following TIFF, he touched on the significance of the win for those involved in the movie. He added that the film was put together with love for the country, its people and its culture.
Primarily the film is about a relationship between a father and son. However, Rio has also mentioned that he has told the story in a bigger way, looking at the concepts of leaving home, straddling home, keeping your roots and accepting change. ([DIPR Nagaland][4])
That feeling of personal investment has been a key part of the journey for the film at TIFF.
What the Toronto Award Means for the Oscars
The Oscar decision is based on a change in the rules of the Academy for the 2027 awards.
The new process is that a non-English-language film can qualify for the International Feature Film category by winning specified awards at select international film festivals.
The Platform Award at Toronto is one of the recognised awards. The rest of the qualifying festival awards are the Golden Bear Berlin, Palme d’Or at Cannes, Golden Lion Venice, Busan Award for Best film, Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. [Cinema Express] [6]
That is, Angh does not have to be India’s official entry for it to qualify for the Academy’s jury deliberations.
But there is an important distinction.
Oscar eligibility does not mean Oscar nomination.
Angh is now eligible for consideration. The film has not been nominated for an Academy Award and has not been shortlisted so far. Final voting by the Academy will decide which films continue to the next phase. ([India Today][7])
Gondhal Remains India’s Official Entry
India’s official entry for the 2027 Oscars is Gondhal directed by Santosh Davakhar.
Angh was one of the films taken into account by the Film Federation of India jury for selecting an entry to the 2023 Oscar race; however, it was not chosen.
NDTV reported that Gondhal secured all 14 votes cast by the selection jury, compared to the 11 for Angh. The eligibility criteria for the film was also a topic of conversation during the selection process, with due consideration of the film’s release and India’s submission route to the Academy. ([NDTV][8])
The Toronto win has shifted the playing field for Angh.
Still an Indian submission, but now a pathway to the Academy.
So, Gondhal is the official submission of India, Angh has earned an eligibility, obviously separately, from winning TIFF.
A Major Moment for Nagaland Cinema
The award is also an important international milestone for Nagaland.
Angh is the first film from the state to bag the Platform Prize at TIFF. The recognition for it in turn has offered the world’s prominent film festival to a story from the Konyak tribe.
The story of a particular village, of a particular time and a community in transition was only just starting to find an audience. Today it has reached a vastly larger crowd.
The TIFF victory also means that Rio’s feature debut can keep its international festival run alive, as well as being ushered into the Academy’s process.
Angh has, for now, qualified for the Oscars in 2027. The award stage now will be the Academy’s consideration and voting process to see whether the movie advances further toward an Oscar nomination.
