From BBC News · · 1m 40s
Angh Wins Toronto Film Prize
Indian film Angh, in Konyak language from Nagaland, wins Toronto International Film Festival's Platform Prize.
In brief
Indian film Angh, in Konyak language from Nagaland, wins Toronto International Film Festival's Platform Prize. Angh, a Konyak-language film from Nagaland, won the Toronto International Film Festival's Platform Prize, giving it a path to the 2027 Oscars. Originally reported by BBC News.
Angh Wins Toronto Prize
Angh, a Konyak-language film from Nagaland, won the Toronto International Film Festival's Platform Prize.
“The award is intended to recognise films with a particularly distinctive directorial voice.”
First Feature Film
Director Theja Rio's first feature film, Angh, is in Konyak, a tribal language unfamiliar to most Indians.
“It was director Theja Rio's first feature and most of its cast faced a camera for the first time.”
Oscar Path
Winning the Platform Prize gives Angh a route to the 2027 Academy Awards under new rules.
“Under new rules, winners of designated prizes at six international festivals can qualify for consideration in the International Feature Film category without relying solely on their country's official submission.”
Konyak Language
Angh is in Konyak, a tribal language from Nagaland, with few speakers in India.
“The film comes from Nagaland, a mountainous state of fewer than two million people on India's northeastern frontier, and is in Konyak, a tribal language unfamiliar to most Indians, never mind audiences abroad.”
Director Background
Director Theja Rio, from Nagaland, wanted to be a rapper before cinema.
“Before cinema, he wanted to be a rapper - "a kid from Compton instead of a kid from Nagaland", as he puts it.”
Film Setting
Angh follows Anghba, the hereditary chief of a Konyak village, and his son in the early 1960s.
“Set in the early 1960s, Angh follows Anghba, the ageing hereditary chief of a Konyak village, and his young son, as the world around them changes.”
Cultural Transition
Christianity spread among Naga communities, changing customs and rituals over decades.
“By then, Christianity had been spreading among Naga communities for decades, bringing changes extending beyond religious belief into customs, rituals and everyday life.”
Intergenerational Change
Angh shows how different generations coexist, with traditions surviving in fragments.
“Within a single family, he says, a grandfather might be a former headhunter, his face still tattooed; two generations later, his grandson might play guitar in a rock band.”
Director's Vision
Rio aimed to capture the past and present coexisting through the father-son relationship.
“The past and the present sort of coexist together.”
Cultural Survival
Dr B Amo Konyak says traditions survived but changed meaning as they changed form.
“But Dr Konyak says culture did not simply stop. People carried parts of it into new religious and social worlds. Traditions survived, but changed meaning as they changed form.”
Film Production
Rio and cinematographer Adam Pietkiewicz shot Angh on 16mm film using archival images from the 1950s and 60s.
“Rio and cinematographer Adam Pietkiewicz shot Angh on 16mm film, drawing on photographs and footage of missionaries and Naga communities from the 1950s and 60s.”
Production Challenges
The film faced technical issues, including a Jeep engine that wouldn't start during a night shoot.
“During a night shoot with Henshall, an old Second World War Jeep was supposed to be driven into frame. It behaved perfectly through rehearsals. But when the cameras began rolling, the engine refused to start.”
Future Plans
Rio hopes Angh's attention brings more filmmakers from Nagaland to global cinema.
“There are, he says, "so many talented filmmakers with so many beautiful stories that are yet to be told".”
What to remember
Angh, a Konyak-language film from Nagaland, won the Toronto International Film Festival's Platform Prize, giving it a path to the 2027 Oscars.
