Guwahati: Nagaland filmmaker Theja Rio has won the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for his film Angh, a period drama exploring cultural transformation, identity and the impact of Christianity on an Indigenous Naga community.
The award was announced at TIFF on Sunday, September 20. The Platform jury praised the film for its “refreshing perspectives,” filmmaking strength and deeply resonant portrayal of a changing world. The jury also commended Rio for his “vision, audacity, and courage” in making the film.
Angh was among 12 films selected for this year’s Platform programme, TIFF’s only juried competition, which highlights works by filmmakers with distinctive voices and strong directorial perspectives.
The Platform Prize includes a trophy and a CAD 20,000 cash award.
The award also gives Angh a direct pathway to consideration for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film under revised Oscar eligibility rules. TIFF is among six international film festivals designated to provide such a pathway. According to the festival, winning the Platform Prize makes a non-English-language film eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category.
Set in a remote village near the Indo-Myanmar border in the 1960s, Angh centres on Anghba, the last surviving chief of an abandoned Indigenous Naga village. He lives in isolation with his ailing wife and young son until the arrival of an American missionary begins to transform the community.
The missionary introduces Christianity, along with new religious beliefs and customs, creating tensions between the village’s traditional practices and the emerging faith. The film also focuses on the relationship between Anghba and his son, who becomes increasingly drawn to the unfamiliar world introduced by the missionary.
Drawing on Naga oral histories, traditions and spiritual beliefs, the film explores questions of cultural identity, generational change and the gradual erosion of an established way of life.
Rio shot Angh on 16mm film, using the format to create a visual language suited to the film’s historical setting and its portrayal of a remote Naga community.
The Platform jury was headed by Argentine filmmaker Pablo Trapero and included filmmaker Amma Asante, actor-filmmaker Sylvia Chang, producer Luc Déry and Albert Lee.
In his acceptance speech, Rio thanked the people who supported the making of Angh.He also acknowledged the film’s production team, led by producer Nancy Nisa Beso, along with the cast and crew.
Angh is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Theja Rio. Jungle Book Studio is handling the film’s international and domestic distribution and acquired its international sales rights ahead of the film’s world premiere at TIFF.
The film’s cinematographer, Adam Pietkiewicz, was also previously announced as the recipient of the TIFF Variety Artisan Award for his work on Angh.