Angh Director Theja Rio on Oscar Journey and Taking Nagaland Stories Global
Angh director Theja Rio and producer Gaurav Dhingra discuss the film’s TIFF success, Oscar campaign and ambition to bring Konyak-language cinema from Nagaland to global audiences.
Theja Rio’s Angh has moved from a Konyak-language debut feature rooted in Nagaland to an international awards contender after winning the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
Set in the early 1960s, the film follows an ageing tribal village chief and his son as an American missionary arrives and disrupts their community. Rio said the story was closely connected to his Naga identity and had previously been explored through an award-winning short film.
The filmmaker and producer Gaurav Dhingra said making the feature came with challenges, including shooting in an indigenous language, recreating a 1960s setting and working with several actors who had never appeared on a film set.
With Angh eligible for Oscar consideration, the team is now preparing an international campaign. Dhingra said they are speaking with US distributors, campaign teams and potential investors while planning screenings for Academy members.
Rio said the film’s success could also create opportunities for more filmmakers from Nagaland and the wider Northeast. He stressed that Angh was not intended to represent an entire region but hoped its journey would encourage more stories from Nagaland to reach global audiences.
The film will also have an Indian theatrical release, although its release date has not yet been announced. Apparently, Nagaland’s stories are finally getting a much bigger screen.
