Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Nagaland Film Angh Wins TIFF Award, Gains 2027 Oscar Eligibility
Angh is a film about a village chief named Anghba in Nagaland.
He stays in his village with his sick wife and young son after other villagers leave.
An American missionary arrives and shows his son a different way of life.
This creates tension between the father’s traditions and his son’s hopes.
The film was directed by Theja Rio.
It won the Platform Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
A new Oscar rule allows some films to qualify through major festival awards.
This means Angh can be considered for the 2027 Oscars.
However, Gondhal is still India’s official Oscar entry.
Theja Rio’s Angh won the Platform Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film is set in a remote Nagaland village near the Indo-Burma border in the early 1960s.
Angh follows Anghba, the last surviving village chief, as he protects his family’s traditions.
The film’s TIFF award makes it eligible for the new festival-based route to 2027 Oscars consideration.
Marathi thriller Gondhal remains India’s official Oscar submission after being selected from 33 films.
- Who
- Theja Rio directed Angh, which centers on Anghba, his family, and an American missionary played by Douglas Henshall.
- What
- Angh won the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform Award and became eligible for consideration through a new International Feature Film qualification route.
- When
- The story is set in the early 1960s; the award makes the film eligible for the 2027 Oscars.
- Where
- The film is set in a remote village in Nagaland near the Indo-Burma border, and it won its award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Why
- Its Platform Award qualifies it for the Academy’s new festival-award pathway, although it is not India’s official Oscar submission.
- Film
- Angh
- Director
- Theja Rio
- Award
- Platform Award, Toronto International Film Festival
- Oscar status
- Eligible for consideration through the festival-award route for the 2027 Oscars
- India’s official entry
- Marathi thriller Gondhal
- Selection process
- Gondhal was selected from 33 films by the Film Federation of India
- Setting
- A remote Nagaland village near the Indo-Burma border in the early 1960s