Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Angh Qualifies for Oscars Alongside India’s Official Selection
India officially chose Gondhal to compete for an Oscar.
Another Indian film, Angh, also entered the race in a different way.
Angh was directed by Theja Rio and is set in Nagaland during the 1960s.
It was filmed entirely in the Konyak language.
The film won the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.
New Academy rules allow films to qualify through certain major festival awards, even without being their country’s official choice.
Angh and Gondhal must still reach the Oscar shortlist before they can become nominees.
The final Best International Feature winner will be chosen at the Academy Awards.
Theja Rio’s Naga-language film Angh won TIFF’s Platform Prize on September 20.
The award made Angh eligible for the Best International Feature Oscar race under revised Academy rules.
Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi thriller Gondhal remains India’s official selection for the category.
Angh was the first Indian film to win TIFF’s Platform Prize, defeating 11 other films.
Neither Angh nor Gondhal has yet secured a final Oscar nomination.
- Who
- Theja Rio’s Angh and Santosh Davakhar’s Gondhal are the two Indian films involved; the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sets the eligibility rules.
- What
- Angh qualified for consideration in the Best International Feature category after winning TIFF’s Platform Prize, despite not being India’s official selection.
- When
- Angh won the prize on September 20; the Academy announced the revised eligibility rules in May 2026, and the 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14 next year.
- Where
- Angh premiered in the Platform section of the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Academy Awards are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, California.
- Why
- The revised rules permit an international feature to qualify by winning a designated top prize at a major international film festival.
- India’s official selection
- Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi thriller Gondhal
- Additional qualifying film
- Theja Rio’s Angh
- Oscar category
- Best International Feature
- Qualifying award
- TIFF’s Platform Prize
- Prize amount
- 20,000 Canadian dollars
- Competition
- Angh defeated 11 other films from around the world
- Final nominations
- A 15-film shortlist is scheduled to be announced on December 15, 2026
- Awards ceremony
- The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14 in Los Angeles, California
