Nagaland-set film english India’s official entry for the 2027 Oscars has not been made. But just days after losing that race, the film has found another path to the Academy Awards, and this time, it’s not up to an Indian selection committee. And that’s what the jury expected.
englishDirected by Theja Rio, won the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Under a major change in Academy rules for the 99th Oscars, a non-English-language film can now qualify for consideration by winning a designated top prize at one of the six international film festivals recognized by the Academy. TIFF’s Platform Award includes the Golden Bear at Berlin, the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice, the Busan Award for Best Film and the World Cinema Grand Jury Award at Sundance.
So while Marathi film Gondhal will represent India as the country’s official submission, Ang can now enter the same Oscar category through its TIFF win. The film has not yet been nominated for an Oscar. A TIFF win qualifies it for consideration, after which the Academy will decide which films advance to final nominations.
But why did it? english Lost to Gondhal in first place?
When the Film Federation of India announced knotted As official entry of India, english was one of the final three films considered by the 14-member jury. knotted While all 14 votes were received english 11 received.
Speaking to NDTV after the selection, jury member Vivek Vaswani said that the release status of the film became an important factor.
“There are many conditions. Number one, the rules are very clear: A film must be released in India before September 30, 2026. The film (english) has not been released yet. They have promised that they have got the censor certificate and will release it. We all love movies. The thing is, if the film doesn’t release for some technical reason, we don’t have a film for the Oscars.”
Vaswani also pointed out that Ang already had an international platform through Toronto, which means his journey does not end with the Indian selection.
“The other thing that softens the blow a bit for us because we love the film is that it is already at the Toronto Film Festival, which gives the film very long legs in the international arena. If the film is disqualified from India due to technical reasons, it will not stop its journey.”
He also revealed how closely the jury looked at both films.
“Also english The jury got 11 out of 14 votes while Gondhal got 14 out of 14 votes. So at some point you can’t argue with the jury.”
Now, the Toronto win has given the organ exactly the kind of international path that Vaswani had hinted at.
Theja Rio’s debut feature was the only Indian film selected for TIFF’s competitive platform section. Set in the 1960s and rooted in Konyak culture, the film explores indigenous identity, faith, cultural change and a father-son relationship.
knotted India’s official Oscar entry remains. but english That designation is no longer required to advance the Academy Awards.
India has an official entry. english Now it has its own way.