New Delhi | Nagaland-set feature film Angh, the directorial debut of Theja Rio, has won the Platform Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026, giving the film an automatic pathway to consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.

The film, the only Indian entry in this year’s Platform Competition, received the top prize at the festival on Sunday. The Platform section is one of TIFF’s key competitive programmes and focuses on distinctive filmmaking and strong directorial voices.

From this year, the winner of the Platform Competition receives automatic qualification for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars. Set in 1960s Nagaland, Angh follows an ageing Konyak village chief and his son as they confront sweeping changes that threaten their ancestral faith, traditions and way of life.

Rio developed the feature from his 2021 short film of the same name. Shot on 16mm, the film features an Indigenous Naga cast alongside BAFTA-winning actor Douglas Henshall. It explores themes of tradition, faith, family, memory, home and cultural transformation.

The film is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Rio. Jungle Book Studio, which acquired its international sales rights ahead of its TIFF world premiere, is handling its international and domestic distribution. Rio, 31, said the award was a significant moment for the film and its team, describing Angh as a story rooted in his place, people and 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 in a statement after the win. Beso said her collaboration with Rio had continued for several years, from the original short film to the feature, adding that the team remained committed to telling the story on its own terms.

Executive producer Gaurav Dhingra said the film offered a rare perspective of Nagaland through the work of Indigenous filmmakers and described its Platform win and Oscars pathway as significant recognition for the makers and independent cinema.

The win marks a major international festival recognition for Angh and places the Nagaland-set film in contention for the 2027 Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category.