Nagaland, in India’s far north-east, is rarely seen on cinema screens. That is changing thanks to Angh, the first feature by 31-year-old Naga director Theja Rio. The National reports that the film is now in the running for the Academy Awards.
Angh won the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the first Indian film ever to do so. That win makes it eligible for the Oscar for best international feature, separately from India’s official entry.
Set in the early 1960s, the film is told mainly in Konyak, the language of one of Nagaland’s tribes, and was shot on 16mm film with local people rather than professional actors in the leading roles. Preliminary Oscar voting takes place in December, with nominations due in January, giving a small community’s story a chance to be seen around the world.
Source: The National