Theja Rio, Director of ‘ANGH’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 21, 2026
‘ANGH,’ a feature debut about a Konyak village chief and his son in 1960s Nagaland, has won the Platform Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026, giving an Indigenous Naga production the “eligibility” for the International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.
The winner of the Platform Competition receives an automatic qualification for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards, an update received here stated.
‘ANGH’ is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Theja Rio. The film is represented internationally and domestically for distribution by Jungle Book Studio, which acquired its international sales rights ahead of its TIFF world premiere, it stated.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Theja Rio, ‘ANGH’ is set in a Nagaland undergoing profound change. It follows an aging village chief and his son, who are among the last people holding on to their ancestral faith and way of life. Shot on 16mm, the film features an Indigenous Naga cast alongside BAFTA-winning actor Douglas Henshall. It explores tradition, faith, family, memory and cultural transformation, the update stated.
The film had its world premiere at the festival, where it drew a strong response from audiences for its deeply personal storytelling and its portrait of a disappearing world. It was the only Indian film selected for the Platform Competition this year.
Platform is one of the festival’s premier competitive sections, an auteur-driven program dedicated to bold directorial voices and distinctive cinematic storytelling.
‘It is a very special moment’
Speaking about the historic win, filmmaker Rio said the honour carries special weight for a first feature.
“It is a very special moment for me and for everyone associated with the film. 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.”
“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,” Rio said. “These are some of the most universal emotions, and they belong to all of us.”
Rio called it “deeply moving” to see the film connect with audiences beyond the filmmaker's own community. Rio thanked the jury for 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.”
‘A story we had to tell’
Nancy Nisa Beso, who produced the film with Rio, described a long creative partnership. “My collaboration with Theja has been one of the longest and most meaningful collaborations of my career,” Beso said. “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.”
Beso said the film was never made by two people alone, crediting those who gave their time, talent, resources and belief. “There were so many moments when making this film felt almost impossible, and we would not be standing here without the people who kept showing up for us,” she said.
She said she hopes the recognition encourages other filmmakers “to take that leap and tell the stories that are close to their hearts, stories from their own communities, their own experiences, their own languages and their own corners of the world, even when they don't fit neatly into what cinema is expected to be.”
‘A film born in Nagaland’
Executive producer Gaurav Dhingra said the win reaches beyond a single film. “Some moments become bigger than a film. This is one of them,” Dhingra said. “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 on its own terms.”
Dhingra, who has produced films for 25 years, including “Peddlers,” “Faith Connections,” “Angry Indian Goddesses” and “Stolen,” said the win and the pathway to the Oscars are “deeply moving, for 'ANGH,' for its makers, for Nagaland, for India and for independent cinema.”
Jungle Book Studio represents the film for distribution internationally and domestically and acquired its international sales rights ahead of the world premiere. Dhingra said ‘ANGH’ marks the start of the studio's international sales and distribution journey.
“If ANGH’s journey gives another filmmaker the courage to tell their story in their own voice, then its impact will reach far beyond this award,” he said.
‘A proud moment for Nagaland and India’
Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio congratulated the team in a post on X, calling the win “a proud moment for Nagaland and India” that “carries a Naga debut onto the Oscar journey.” He added that 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.”
Winter Hymns Film is media production house from Nagaland, dedicated to crafting compelling narratives with a distinct visual and storytelling style. Known for its award-winning short films that have made an impact on the festival circuit, the company is now making its feature film debut with ‘ANGH.’
Undercover Squirrel, a story-driven media company focused on amplifying unheard voices, is also associated with the project. Jungle Book Studio's slate includes “ANGH,” “Stolen,” “Angry Indian Goddesses,” “Beyond The Known World,” “Haraamkhor,” “Vakratunda Mahakaaya,” “Faith Connections” and “Peddlers.”
