Last Updated: September 16, 2026, 10:21 IST1 / 8 Naga filmmaker Theja Rio’s Angh has brought a story from Nagaland to the global stage.
The feature film, set in the early 1960s, made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026, where it has been selected for the Platform Competition.
James Davis has co-written the screenplay with Theja Rio, while Adam Pietkiewicz is the cinematographer.
The film is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Theja Rio, with Winter Hymns Film and Undercover Squirrel as the production companies.
(Image: Instagram/@thejario)ADVERTISEMENT7 / 8 Theja Rio and his team chose to shoot Angh on 16mm film.
Last Updated: September 16, 2026, 10:21 IST
1 / 8 Naga filmmaker Theja Rio’s Angh has brought a story from Nagaland to the global stage. The feature film, set in the early 1960s, made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026, where it has been selected for the Platform Competition. It is the only Indian film in the section this year. (Image: Instagram/@anghthefilm)
2 / 8 Set in the remote hills of Nagaland in the early 1960s, Angh follows Anghba, a Konyak chief and the last surviving chief of an abandoned village. He lives with his ailing wife and young son, who does not speak, as the community around them changes. The story takes a major turn when an American missionary arrives in the area. His arrival brings new religious beliefs as well as the promise of aid and a different way of life. For Anghba, this creates a difficult conflict between protecting the traditions of his ancestors and adapting to a changing world. The film explores themes of faith, tradition, identity, cultural change and memory through the relationship between a father and his son. (Image: IMDb)
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3 / 8 Theja Rio has written and directed the film. A filmmaker from Nagaland and an alumnus of the UK's National Film and Television School, Rio is making his feature directorial debut with Angh. (Image: Instagram/@anghthefilm)
4 / 8 Interestingly, Angh expands on Rio's 2021 short film of the same name, which also explored a Naga community facing the arrival of Christianity and social change. The short had travelled to international festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand and Palm Springs. (Image: Instagram/@thejario)
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5 / 8 The film features Douglas Henshall, known internationally for the television series Shetland, as the American missionary. He stars alongside an ensemble of Indigenous actors from Nagaland, including Anghlong Konyak, Sobino Rengma, Genpai Konyak, Amah Konyak, and Wangton Konyak. Rio also chose to work largely with non-professional actors from the region, keeping the film closely connected to the community and setting it portrays. (Image: Instagram/@thejario)
6 / 8 The film has an international creative team while remaining rooted in Nagaland. James Davis has co-written the screenplay with Theja Rio, while Adam Pietkiewicz is the cinematographer. Margarida Caetano Dias handled production design and Manisha Garg worked on costumes. Tanya Chhabria is the editor and Sagar Desai composed the music. The film is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Theja Rio, with Winter Hymns Film and Undercover Squirrel as the production companies. (Image: Instagram/@thejario)
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7 / 8 Theja Rio and his team chose to shoot Angh on 16mm film. The format was used to create a visual language suited to the film's setting, period and themes. Cinematographer Adam Pietkiewicz received the TIFF Variety Artisan Award for his work on the film. (Image: Instagram/@thejario)
