Film set in 1960s Nagaland explores tradition, faith, identity and social change
Naga filmmaker Theja Rio’s debut feature Angh, set in Nagaland in the early 1960s, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 15, where it is competing in the Platform section. The film is the only Indian title in the 2026 Platform lineup.
Set in a remote village near the Indo-Burma border, Angh follows Anghba, a Konyak chief who remains in an abandoned village with his ailing wife and non-speaking young son. Their isolated life is disrupted by the arrival of an American missionary, played by Douglas Henshall of Shetland.
The film explores the tensions between ancestral traditions, faith, identity and social change through the relationship between Anghba and his son, who becomes increasingly drawn to the new way of life introduced by the mission.
Rio has written and directed the film, expanding it from his 2021 short of the same name, which received a Special Jury Award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
Shot entirely on 16mm, Angh features Indigenous actors from Nagaland alongside Henshall. The cast includes Anghlong Konyak, Sobino Rengma, Genpai Konyak, Amah Konyak and Wangton Konyak. Cinematographer Adam Pietkiewicz received the TIFF Variety Artisan Award for his work on the film.
Rio, an alumnus of the UK’s National Film and Television School, said the film was “an opportunity to reconnect with my roots and tell our stories through our own lens.”
Angh was produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Rio through Winter Hymns Films and Undercover Squirrel. Jungle Book Studio has acquired its international sales rights. An India theatrical release is planned, but a date has not yet been announced.
