Kohima: Naga filmmaker Theja Rio’s feature directorial debut Angh has won the Platform Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), giving the Nagaland-set film a direct eligibility pathway for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.
The award was announced at TIFF on Sunday, September 20. The Platform competition is one of the festival’s competitive sections, recognising films with distinctive directorial voices and strong artistic vision. The TIFF jury praised Angh for its “refreshing perspectives, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world”, while commending Rio’s “vision, audacity and courage”.
Set in Nagaland in the early 1960s, Angh follows a Konyak chief and his son as they confront a changing world and the erosion of their cultural way of life following the arrival of an American missionary.
The film was shot on 16mm by cinematographer Adam Pietkiewicz, who was earlier announced as the recipient of the TIFF Variety Artisan Award for his work on Angh.
Reacting to the Platform win, Rio described the recognition as a special moment for him and everyone associated with the film. He said the film was made “with a lot of love” for his homeland, people and culture.
Angh is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Rio. Jungle Book Studio represents the film internationally and domestically for distribution and had acquired its international sales rights ahead of its world premiere at TIFF.
Beso described her collaboration with Rio on the film as “one of the longest and most meaningful” of her career, adding that Angh was a story they had to tell “on our own terms”.
The Platform Award win is significant under the Academy’s revised 2026 eligibility rules. Films that win designated top prizes at six approved international film festivals—including TIFF’s Platform Award—can qualify for consideration in the International Feature Film category, alongside films submitted through the traditional country or regional selection process. Angh had its world premiere at TIFF and was the only Indian film in the 2026 Platform competition.
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