Angh filmmaker Theja Rio says his Oscar journey is about more than a festival award. For the Nagaland director, the film offers an opportunity to help audiences understand Naga culture through a story told from within the community.
Rio’s Konyak-language debut feature won the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The victory made Angh eligible for consideration in the 2027 Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category.
Angh carries Nagaland’s story to a global audience
Set in Nagaland in the 1960s, Angh follows an ageing Konyak village chief and his son as they hold on to their ancestral faith and way of life during a period of major social change.
Speaking to PTI, Rio said he wants viewers to understand the people and culture behind the story rather than view Nagaland only as an unfamiliar or visually striking place. “We don’t want to be just showcased, we want to be understood,” he said.
Rather than presenting the Northeast through an outside lens, Rio wants Angh to let audiences see the region through its people.
From a short film to a feature
Angh began as a short film that Rio made in 2019. The short travelled internationally and helped him develop the story and his voice. He later expanded the idea into a feature, retaining its focus on cultural memory, faith, family and change.
According to the Nagaland government, Rio completed the feature after graduating from the National Film and Television School in the UK in 2024. He returned to Nagaland to make his debut feature, with much of the cast and crew coming from the state.
The film also grew through collaboration with the Konyak community, whose members guided the production on language, costumes and traditions.
TIFF win creates Oscar pathway
Angh made its world premiere at TIFF in September 2026 and was the only Indian film selected for the festival’s Platform Competition. It then won the Platform Prize, becoming the first Indian film to receive the award.
The prize also affects the film’s awards journey. Under the pathway for the 2027 Academy Awards, the TIFF Platform winner becomes eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category.
However, eligibility does not mean Angh has secured an Oscar nomination. The film still faces the Academy’s selection process as the awards season progresses. India’s official submission for the category is the Marathi film Gondhal, while Angh has an independent route into consideration through its TIFF win.
A story rooted in Nagaland
The film’s international recognition has also brought attention to the limited film infrastructure in Nagaland. Rio has described the local industry as one that is not yet self-sufficient, making Angh’s production and international festival journey significant for the region’s filmmakers.
The film has also received support at home. The Nagaland government felicitated Rio in Kohima on September 30, recognising his TIFF achievement and the wider contribution of the film’s cast and crew.
Rio has also highlighted the role of first-time actors and collaborators from Nagaland, particularly from the Konyak community. Their participation remains central to the film’s cultural perspective.
Beyond an Oscar campaign
Theja Rio the filmmaker has said the film should help viewers learn about the people, history and perspective behind the landscape.
The film’s journey from a short project to TIFF’s Platform Prize has already placed a Konyak-language story on a major international stage. Now, as Angh enters the Academy’s consideration process, Rio’s emphasis remains on being understood rather than simply showcased.
The next stages will determine how far the film advances in the 2027 Oscars race. Yet its international journey has already opened a wider conversation about Naga storytelling, indigenous perspectives and the place of Northeast Indian cinema on global screens.
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