Indian film Angh, directed by Naga filmmaker Theja Rio, has won the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The win gives the film a direct pathway to the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, under new eligibility rules introduced by the Academy this year.
Set in Nagaland in the early 1960s and told in the Konyak language, Angh follows a former village chief and his young son as they remain in one of the last communities holding on to an ancient way of life. Their isolated existence is disrupted by the arrival of an American missionary, bringing questions of faith, cultural identity and a changing world into the father-son relationship. The film stars Indigenous actors from Nagaland alongside Scottish actor Douglas Henshall.
The Platform jury, led by filmmaker Pablo Trapero, awarded the film the festival’s top prize in the section. Its citation read, “The Platform Prize goes to Angh. For its refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world. We praise the filmmaker’s vision, audacity and courage.”
The win is particularly significant because the Academy changed its rules for the 99th Oscars. From this year, a non-English-language film can enter the International Feature Film competition through two routes. It can be submitted by an eligible country or region, as before, or it can qualify by winning a designated award at one of six international film festivals. The six awards are the Golden Bear for Best Film at Berlin, the Busan Award for Best Film at Busan, the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the Platform Award at Toronto and the Golden Lion at Venice. Angh becomes the first film to use TIFF’s newly designated pathway.
Meanwhile, Marathi film Gondhal, directed by Santosh Davakhar, was selected by the Film Federation of India as India’s official submission for the Oscars 2027. It will therefore enter the Oscars through the traditional country-selection route, while Angh has qualified independently through its TIFF victory.
Angh was not India’s only presence at Toronto this year. Karthik Subbaraj’s Tamil film Dorothy had its world premiere at TIFF. Keerthy Suresh features in the film, which combines elements of action, noir and dark comedy. Richie Mehta’s Phoolan also had its world premiere in the Special Presentations section.
Malayalam cinema made a particularly distinctive appearance with Half, directed by Samjad, while Shaunak Sen returned to TIFF with Termite, a 31-minute Hindi-Urdu short set in Old Delhi.
Also Read: Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy Gets Standing Ovation at TIFF 2026 World Premiere
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