Naga film, Angh, directed by Theja Rio, became the first-ever Indian film to win the prestigious Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sunday (September 20).

The Platform Prize is TIFF’s lone juried prize, and seeks to “recognize and honor filmmakers with an innovative and bold directorial vision.”

Angh was honoured for its “refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world”. A jury comprising Argentinian director Pablo Trapero, British screenwriter Amma Asante, Taiwanese artist Sylvia Chang, Canadian film producer Luc Dery and Albert Lee, the Executive Director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, awarded Angh the $20,000 CAD prize.

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In doing so, the film, shot entirely in the Konyak language, has become eligible to compete in the Best International Film category of the Academy Awards, alongside India’s official selection, the Marathi film Gondhal. Crucially, neither of these films has been officially nominated for the 2027 Oscars in this category yet.

How did two Indian language films become eligible for a shot at the Oscars? We explain.

First, what is the Best International Feature Film Oscar?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in Beverly Hills, California, defines an international feature as a feature-length film produced outside the United States, with a dialogue track more than 50 per cent in a language or languages other than English.

Unlike several other Academy Award categories, Best International Feature Film does not require a film to have been released in the United States to be eligible.

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Since the 79th Academy Awards in 2006, films have also not been required to be in an official language of the country submitting them.

Traditionally, films submitted for consideration in this category are selected by each eligible country’s national selection committee recognised by the Academy. The Film Federation of India (FFI) oversees official submissions to the Academy.

So how did Angh become eligible for an Oscar in this category?

In May 2026, the Academy announced modified eligibility guidelines, including a new route for eligibility in Best International Film. Under the new guidelines, an international feature (non-English language film) could be submitted for consideration by “winning a qualified award” at any of the following prestigious, international film festivals:

• The Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival (Canada)
• The Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (Germany)
• Busan Best Film Award at the Busan International Film Festival (Korea)
• Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival (France)
• World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival (USA)
• Golden Lion award at Venice International Film Festival (Italy)

The new Academy rule separates a film’s eligibility from the traditional idea of national representation, and creates another route alongside this route.

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Interestingly, Angh was a film in contention for India’s official selection for Best International Film. FFI’s Chairman of the Oscar Selection Committee, K Seshadri, said Angh was among the final three films considered by the FFI alongside Gondhal and Ikkis. Angh’s victory at TIFF means it does not have to depend on that selection to enter the Academy’s consideration pool.

From longlist to nominee – the journey

Before a film in this category becomes an Oscar nominee, it must clear four stages:

Selection for consideration: Traditionally, films named for Oscar consideration in this category are selected by each country’s national selection committee. This year, the Academy has expanded such eligibility to films that win any of six named film festival awards. A longlist of eligible films is thus announced [confirm this].

Academy validation and shortlisting: Members of the Academy’s International Feature Film Preliminary Committee are then invited to participate in the preliminary voting round to review the longlisted films.

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This committee comprises directors, writers and technicians with an interest in international cinema. And unlike technical categories, this committee is open to volunteers from all 17 of the Academy’s branches. Members must meet the Academy’s viewing requirements before voting.

The films receiving the highest number of votes advance to a 15-film shortlist, which will be announced on December 15, 2026.

Both Angh and Gondhal now face their next major hurdle here.

Nomination: Films named in the shortlist now compete for one of the five nominations in this category. A separate Nominating Committee is tasked with watching, reviewing and voting for the shortlisted films.

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All members of this committee must watch all 15 films for their ballots to be valid, and can vote for up to five films.

The five films receiving the highest number of votes then become the official nominees for Best International Feature Film.

Award voting: The five nominated films then proceed to final voting, which is open to all active and life members of the Academy. The winner is then announced during the Oscars presentation ceremony.

How has India fared in this category?

Before it was renamed Best International Feature Film, the category was known as Best Foreign Language Film.

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Three films submitted by India have reached the final five: Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan (2001).

The distinction between an Indian film and a film submitted by India is important here. Deepa Mehta’s Water, for instance, was directed by an Indian filmmaker but was submitted by Canada, and was a nominee in the 79th Academy Awards in 2006.

The separate shortlist stage was introduced in that award cycle. The first such shortlist contained nine films. The system subsequently evolved into the 15-film shortlist used today.

Under the current 15-film shortlist system, India’s Chhello Show (Last Film Show, 2022) and Homebound (2025) have advanced to the shortlist.