Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Kohima: Naga filmmaker Theja Rio secured the top honor at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, September 20. His feature debut, Angh, claimed the Platform Prize. The award includes a trophy and a CAD 20,000 cash prize. It also grants the film direct eligibility for the International Feature Film category at the Oscars.
The Platform jury, led by Argentine filmmaker Pablo Trapero, praised the work for its refreshing perspective and bold direction. The panel included Amma Asante, Sylvia Chang, Luc Déry, and Albert Lee. The jury specifically commended Rio for his vision, audacity, and courage. Rio expressed his gratitude to his team, family, and partner, Andrea, during his acceptance speech.
Set in 1960s Nagaland, the story centers on a Konyak chief and his son. They face cultural erasure when an American missionary arrives. Cinematographer Adam Pietkiewicz shot the film on 16mm. Pietkiewicz also earned the Toronto International Film Festival Variety Artisan Award for his craft. The film was produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Rio. Jungle Book Studio holds the international and domestic distribution rights.
Rio dedicated the win to his homeland, people, and culture. He said, “It is a very special moment for me and for everyone associated with the film.” Beso noted the long journey, stating the team fought to tell the story on their own terms. Angh was one of 12 entries in the festival's only juried competition.
Updated at 21st September 2026 at 2:00pm
The film stood out as the only Indian entry in this year's Platform lineup. It features a cast of Indigenous Naga actors alongside BAFTA winner Douglas Henshall. The story pulls from Naga oral histories and traditions to map out the generational friction between an ageing chief and his son as a foreign faith takes root in their village near the Indo-Myanmar border.
Executive producer Gaurav Dhingra noted the film marks the start of Jungle Book Studio's international distribution arm. Dhingra, who has backed projects like Peddlers and Angry Indian Goddesses, said the project is a rare find that highlights a community perspective seldom seen on global screens. The team spent years moving the project from a short film concept to a full feature, often working under the belief that they had to hold onto their creative control to stay true to the story.
Updated at 22nd September 2026 at 1:46am
The win puts the film on the path to the 99th Academy Awards, set for March 14, 2027. This development comes on the heels of the Academy opening the International Feature Film category to winners of top-tier festival jury prizes, including Toronto.
Rio leaned on local, non-professional actors for the film, pulling them from remote villages to capture authentic, lived-in performances. He noted that these cast members arrived on set with a blank slate, bringing a raw, three-dimensional quality to the screen that professional training often kills. In the film, the Konyak chief, played by Anghlong Konyak, spars with an American missionary over the erosion of his people's ancestral faith. One scene captures the conflict when the chief tells the missionary, Do not speak to me like an animal.
Speaking to the Canadian Press, Rio called the win a dream he hopes he does not wake up from. He dedicated the award to his home in the Northeast, acknowledging that dreams are often hard to reach for people from his region. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio also hailed the win as a landmark moment for the region.
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