We want to be understood, not just showcased: 'Angh' director on Nagaland-set film's dream run

"Angh" comes from an industry that barely exists and is definitely not self-sufficient, says director Theja Rio as he looks at his Nagaland-set film's dream run -- from the vales of his home state to the win at Toronto International Film Festival and now the Oscars.

The film, set in the 1960s and shot on 16mm, won the Platform prize at TIFF, opening the door for qualification in the best international feature segment at the Oscars. "Angh", in Konyak language, will be India's second film for a possible nomination in the category after the official entry in the category, Marathi movie "Gondhal".

Kohima-born Rio, a first-time filmmaker who developed the movie from his award-winning short of the same name, puts his lens on a father and son pair from the tribal Konyak community who must deal with the changing social and cultural landscape in their homeland.

"We don't want to be just showcased, we want to be understood. Hopefully, when 'Angh' comes out, a lot more people learn more about us and see the world in our perspective as well. A lot more filmmakers are going to come out from the northeast and from Nagaland and I hope the support then continues to that as well," the 31-year-old told PTI in an interview.

Discussing the Oscar journey of his 103-minute film, he said, "We have been given the opportunity, so we will try our best to secure a nomination. We are also looking to release the movie here."

"Angh", Rio said, is told through the perspective of a Naga character and made by Naga people.

"It follows the perspective of a subject and not that of an explorer. Films are a beautiful window where you can sort of get an insight on how a culture is and who the people are," he added.

Taking his film to an international platform like Toronto was a dream come true, he said. It also gave him a chance to interact with other filmmakers.

"I had no idea that we were going to win... I had no expectations. My producers were more arrogant in that sense. They believed that we were going to win. When we were announced the winner, it was something that was surreal because, like I said, bringing our film there was a big achievement for us."

Unlike other parts of India, Nagaland had no filmmaking culture and only two theatres in the entire state, with none in its capital Kohima. And Rio grew up watching movies on television, followed by pirated DVDs and illegal streaming services.

His first theatrical experience was Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in Delhi at the age of seven. The experience stayed with him and inspired him to pursue filmmaking.

"'Angh' comes from a film industry that barely exists and that is definitely not self-sufficient... Despite making films that are rooted in our culture, we have to look elsewhere for the audience and validation. That's where platforms like TIFF and all these film festivals play a role in getting us visibility."

"And that's why I think a lot of films are going to come out from Nagaland and the Northeast as well. We have a number of filmmakers like Pradip Kurbah, Rima Das, Lakshmi Priya Devi. The limited filmmakers we have have all been able to find their places in big film festivals around the world."

Rio's career took off in 2015 when he was selected for a screenwriting programme in Sicily. In 2022, Rio moved to the UK and joined the National Film and Television School, where he pursued an MA in direction.

Set in the early 1960s, the movie follows Anghba, the ageing hereditary chief of a Konyak village, and his young son, as the world around them changes.

Anghba and his son are among the last in their region to hold to an ancestral faith as Christianity spreads. Then arrives an American missionary, played by Scottish actor Douglas Henshall who is the harbinger of change in their lives.

The Konyaks are one of Nagaland's 17 major tribes, concentrated in the eastern district of Mon, where such chiefs are known as Anghs.

Rio said he travelled to Mon district in 2016 to research for another project and was intrigued by the culture there.

"It's such a beautiful world where it almost feels like the past and the present coexist together. You have two generations before you, where someone like the grandfather has tattoos on his face. And you come two generations down and you have the grandson who is a guitarist in a rock band."

He said he chose to set the film in the 1960s because Nagaland went through rapid transition during that time.

"We've gone from being former headhunters and being very traditional to becoming, very quickly, culturally and lifestyle-wise, gentrified into the modern day that we live in today. So I wanted to set my film in a time where that transition was at its peak."

Asked how he ensured that the movie doesn't come across as an "anti-Christianity" piece of art, Rio said he always tries to maintain neutrality in his writing.

"I like to write about things that I'm conflicted about. I'm not really interested in making films about things I'm sure about. That way, it's so easy to turn your product into a product of agenda, a product of propaganda.

"You have Anghba, the chief protagonist of my film who has full conviction in his beliefs and ideologies, while the American missionary is fully convinced in his ideologies. These are two worlds coming and colliding, and that's where the conflict arises, and I'm interested in those."

Nagaland, he said, is a state with a lot of cultures and festivals. "We're still dealing with the hangovers of the change that has happened, but it's the conflict of what to let go and what to hold on to." 

"Angh" is produced by Nancy Nisa Beso and Rio, and features an indigenous Naga cast alongside Henshall, who won the BAFTA for his role in the series "Shetland". PTI