The film 'Angh' - rooted in Nagaland, directed by Theja Rio, has won the coveted Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film was lauded by the festival jury for its ‘deeply resonant portrait of a world’.
'Angh' captures the haunting and intimate story of a father and son (Konyak tribe/Naga family) -- the latter increasingly seduced by the comforts of the mission.
Simultaneously, the film observes the process of conversion that reframes the local culture as primitive.
Courtesy of its win, 'Angh' has also now qualified for the Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards.
"It is also a proud moment for our region and its storytellers on the global stage as 'ANGH' brings Naga cinema and its talent into the spotlight," Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio wrote on X.
“The Platform Prize goes to 'Angh'. For its refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world. We praise the filmmaker’s vision, audacity and courage," the jury said.
Starting this year, TIFF’s Platform Prize is one of only six international festival awards with a direct pathway to the Oscars.
'Angh' will be now vying with other national entries, including India's Gondhal, for a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Oscars.
The film received an incredible response from audiences for its deeply personal storytelling and poignant portrayal of a disappearing world.
'Angh' is the only Indian film selected for TIFF’s Platform Competition this year.
One of TIFF’s premier competitive sections, Platform is the festival’s auteur-driven competition, dedicated to bold directorial voices and distinctive cinematic storytelling.
The juried section highlights films shaped by a strong directorial vision and a distinctive perspective.
The winner of the Platform Competition receives an automatic qualification for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards. Angh is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Theja Rio.
The filmmaker is son of Medozeu Rio (Jimmy) and is nephew of incumbent chief minister Neiphu 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.
ThejaRio : snap - Getty Image/Hindustan Times (AFP)
"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," says Theja Rio.
"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," he notes.
"I feel humbled and grateful. I want to thank the jury for recognising our work and for giving us the opportunity to represent our country and our culture on two of the world’s most prestigious stages — TIFF’s Platform Competition and, soon, the Academy Awards as well.”
Theja Rio also said he came from a small part of Northeast India, where, he noted, dreams do not often come true for his people.
He dedicated the award to "my people back home".
Nancy Nisa Beso, the producer of the film - and also a Naga - 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."
"As a producer, I have carried a very deep sense of responsibility for this film, to believe in it when the path was uncertain ...So many people believed in ANGH and came on this journey with us".
"Congratulations to Director Theja Rio and the team of 'ANGH' on winning the prestigious Platform Prize at @TIFF_NET. This historic win marks a proud moment for Nagaland and India, and carries a Naga debut onto the Oscar journey," Nagaland chief minister Rio tweeted.
Executive producer Gaurav Dhingra said, “Some moments become bigger than a film. This is one of them. 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"
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