A still from director Theja Rio’s feature debut ANGH, which had its world premiere in the Official Selection at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 15.
Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | September 20
Inspired by a curiosity about a generation that witnessed profound social and cultural change, Theja Rio’s feature debut, ANGH that made its world premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 15, 2026, is a film that is very close to his heart, and a story that he has been carrying with him for many years.
In an exclusive interview with The Morung Express, he revealed that, “I wasn’t interested in making a historical film in the conventional sense. I wanted to tell a deeply human story about identity, faith, family, loss and belonging.”
The journey, he related, “has been a long one” even while sharing that, “ANGH actually began as a short film several years ago and I always felt there was a larger story waiting to be told.”
“Turning it into a feature was both exciting and daunting”, he said while highlighting that the biggest challenge was the scale of the production.
In his words, “we built an entire village, worked with a large cast that included many first-time actors, and shot on Super 16mm film. There were logistical challenges almost every day, but there was also a strong sense of purpose among everyone involved. People really believed in what we were trying to do.”
To see the film travel and connect with audiences internationally has been incredibly rewarding as he put it. “I think it proves that stories rooted in a specific place can still resonate universally”, he underlined.
Attending TIFF as the writer and director of ANGH, he shared that, “to be honest, when I first started making films, I wasn’t thinking about festivals like Toronto. I was simply trying to tell stories that mattered to me.”
But as a student and later as a filmmaker, TIFF became one of those festivals he deeply admired. “Being here now feels surreal”, he expressed while highlighting that, “it’s one of the biggest film festivals in the world, and to have a film from Nagaland screening here is something I’m immensely proud of.”
More than a personal achievement however, he said that, “it feels like a milestone for everyone who worked on the film and for the many people back home who supported us throughout the journey.” “It’s also been very moving to see audiences from completely different cultures engage with the film. That’s one of the beautiful things about cinema”, he articulated.
While making films from Nagaland has never been the easiest path, Theja Rio has however always believed that “our stories deserve to be seen and heard on the world stage.”
Towards this end, he also stated that, “the support we’ve received from audiences back home has meant a lot throughout this journey” while expresding that, “I feel incredibly grateful.” Further acknowledging the Naga community in Canada, he recalled that, “since arriving in Toronto, I’ve been overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity they’ve shown our team.”
“It’s been very moving to see people come out to support the film, and it reminds me that no matter where we are in the world, there is a strong sense of connection within the Naga community”, he profoundly expressed.
He stated hope that ANGH— a film is set in the early 1960s and follows an ageing village chief and former headhunter who finds himself confronting a rapidly changing world— would encourage more young people from Nagaland to tell stories in their own voice and on their own terms. “The more perspectives we have, the richer our cinema becomes”, he underlined while putting across that, “at the end of the day, filmmaking is a collective effort, and whatever success this film enjoys belongs to the entire team that made it possible.”
Theja Rio is currently focussing on finishing his next feature film- Ade (On A Weekend), which was shot in Nagaland on 16mm film and is currently in post-production.
Taking the very intimate Naga Story out into the world
Nancy Nisa Beso, the producer of the film, grew up “listening to stories about our land, our people and our history”, which also makes Angh very personal to her.
So there was an immediate emotional connection to this world, she told The Morung Express. But what really stayed with her as she articulated, “was the humanity of the story, a family trying to hold on to each other while everything around them is changing.”
With both hailing from Kohima, Nancy Nisa Beso and Theja Rio have been collaborating together since Rio started making short films. “When we made the short ANGH, we always had this feeling that one day we would make it into a feature. We didn’t know when or how, but we knew we would do to it”, she shared.
Highlighting that, “Theja went to film school, developed the script, and when he graduated, he came back to Nagaland”, she said that, “that’s when we decided, okay, let’s make this film.”
She also felt very strongly that, “if we were going to make this film, we had to make it ourselves, with our people, in our language and on our land.”
“My role as a producer was to believe in that vision and do everything I could to make it possible and then take this very intimate, very Naga story out into the world”, Nancy asserted.
She also exuded hope that ANGH finds its way to people who may know nothing about Nagaland or Nagas. While the world of the film is very specific to us, she said that, “the feelings are not.”
“I hope someone watching it on the other side of the world can look at these characters and recognise something of their own life in them. That is what I love about cinema it allows us to enter a world completely different from our own and still find something familiar in it”, she put across.
