Indian debut 'Angh' wins Toronto Platform prize and path to Oscars race
India's Angh has taken the top prize in the Platform section at the Toronto Film Festival.
The Nagaland-set drama, the feature directorial debut of Theja Rio, was named Platform winner as the festival closed on 20 September, Variety reported on 21 September. Platform is a jury-selected strand for distinctive directing voices. It was the only Indian film selected for the section this year.
The jury cited the film's refreshing perspective and strength of filmmaking, according to the festival's awards announcement, TIFF. The Platform award carries a cash prize of 20,000 Canadian dollars, worth about 14,200 US dollars, Screen Daily reported.
Angh centres on an elderly Konyak chief and his son in Nagaland in the 1960s. The cast draws largely from Indigenous Naga communities and includes BAFTA winner Douglas Henshall.
Rio is an Indigenous Naga filmmaker and a graduate of the UK's National Film and Television School. The film was produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Rio, and marks the feature debut of Winter Hymns Films, a Nagaland production house previously known for short films.
Jungle Book Studio picked up global sales rights before the Toronto premiere and represents the film for international and local distribution. Sales rights, in festival terms, mean the right to sell the film territory by territory to distributors and platforms.
The win also opens a path to the Oscars. The Platform prize comes with automatic entry into the international feature film race for 2027, the category in which each country puts forward films for Academy Award consideration. India's official submission in that category is Gondhal.
This year's Platform was larger than before. Toronto expanded the lineup and jury for 2026, with 12 world premieres in the section. The festival's other main prize, the People's Choice Award, went to La Bola Negra, Deadline reported on 20 September.
What makes this stand out is the route it travelled. A first feature from a Nagaland-based company, shot with a largely local cast, has now secured sales representation, a festival prize and a way into the awards calendar in a single week.
