'Angh', directed by Theja Rio, has been officially selected for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the top five and most prestigious film festivals in the world.
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DIMAPUR — 'Angh', directed by Theja Rio, has been officially selected for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the top five and most prestigious film festivals in the world.
The film will now compete in Platform category, TIFF’s international competition for outstanding films from around the world.
Starting this year, the winner of the Platform Competition will directly qualify for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars, making this recognition even more special.
‘Angh’, which is the expanded version of the short film the director made seven years ago with the same title, has a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
While sharing that the themes of old versus new and tradition versus modernity have always been central to his storyboard, Rio told Eastern Mirror: "Growing up in Nagaland, I witnessed communities navigating rapid social and cultural change, and those experiences stayed with me. Over the years, I felt there was a much larger, richer story waiting to be told, and the feature allowed me to explore those ideas with greater depth and nuance."
Adding that it took several years to develop from the original short film into a feature, the delighted director shared that the cast is made up predominantly of Naga actors, most of who had never acted before, alongside BAFTA-winning actor Douglas Henshall, who plays an American missionary.
With the biggest challenge being on the scale of the production, the team with a crew of about 100 people spent nearly a month shooting deep inside a forest near Ghaspani and another week in Puliebadze.
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With the movie being shot entirely on 16mm film, the film is incredibly rewarding visually, but ‘it leaves very little room for error and brings significant logistical challenges’.
Coordinating a large crew, transporting equipment into remote locations, and working with the limitations of film made the production both demanding and incredibly fulfilling.
The director, who has always tried to approach films from a place of neutrality, finds stories become far more layered and human when they aren’t trying to take sides or push a particular agenda.
Speaking on the movie, Rio shared that the movie explores the tension between holding on to inherited traditions and embracing a changing world. He said, “It’s a conflict that exists not only within the characters but within me as well—and I believe it’s something many people, regardless of where they come from, can relate to.”
Speaking on the achievement, the director said that the most important thing is to have confidence in your own voice and trust your instincts.
“We come from a place with incredibly rich cultures and deeply personal stories that remain largely under-represented in world cinema. That’s not a disadvantage—it’s one of our greatest strengths. Authenticity resonates across cultures, and audiences everywhere connect with honesty,” he said.
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Announcing the achievement on social media, Rio wrote on Facebook, "I feel incredibly emotional and deeply honoured to share that our film #Angh has been selected for the Platform Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival 2026."
To all the young upcoming filmmakers in Nagaland, the director of Angh advised, 'The most important thing is to have confidence in your own voice and trust your instincts. We come from a place with incredibly rich cultures and deeply personal stories that remain largely under-represented in world cinema. That’s not a disadvantage—it’s one of our greatest strengths. Authenticity resonates across cultures, and audiences everywhere connect with honesty.'
The 2026 line-up for TIFF scheduled to be held from Sept. 10 till the 20th, features 12 films from around the world.
His award-winning short films like Angh and Ade (On A Sunday) were showcased at renowned festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand and Palm Springs, winning an award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.