Photo Courtesy: nenow
Kohima: Nagaland filmmaker Theja Rio just scored a major win. His debut feature, Angh, picked up the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival. The victory offers a new path for the Konyak-language production to reach the 2027 Academy Awards. Under recent rules, winners at six specific festivals can now bypass official country entries to enter the Oscar eligibility race. Rio is aiming for that door.
The story hits Mon district in the 1960s. It follows Anghba, a hereditary chief, and his son as their tribe grapples with shifting customs and the rise of Christianity. An American missionary arrives, played by Scottish actor Douglas Henshall. Tensions boil. The son starts looking toward the new faith. The father holds fast to the old ways.
Most of the cast had never acted before. Rio cast locals, including Anghlong Konyak as the chief, to keep the perspective authentic. They moved away from the tired tropes of headhunting and colonial focus. Instead, they built a story about human loss, conflict, and family ties. Rio admits he did not expect the win. He said, "The competition included several experienced filmmakers."
Shooting was a grind. The crew used 16mm film stock to match the texture of 1950s and 60s archives. They could not check their footage on site. They shipped reels to Mumbai every few days. During one night shoot, a World War II-era Jeep broke down. They only got one take. Scholar B Amo Konyak helped shape the dialogue and production design to keep it accurate to the era. Film critic Siddhant Adlakha praised the work for avoiding a clichéd view of tradition and progress. Rio hopes this attention helps other filmmakers from the Northeast find a wider stage for their stories.
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