Anuja | |
---|---|
Directed by | Adam J. Graves |
Story by | Adam J. Graves |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Akash Raje |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Fabrizio Mancinelli |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 22 minutes |
Country |
|
Language |
|
Anuja is a 2024 American Hindi-language short film written and directed by philosopher-turned-filmmaker Adam J. Graves. Starring Sajda Pathan, Ananya Shanbhag and Nagesh Bhonsle, it tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old girl who, alongside her sister Palak, faces a life-changing opportunity that tests their bond and mirrors the struggles of girls worldwide. The project is a collaboration between Graves and his wife Suchitra Mattai, a visual artists of South Asian decent who served as producer. It premiered on 17 August 2024 at the HollyShorts Film Festival. [1] [2]
On 23 January 2025, it was nominated for the Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards. [3]
When a talented 9-year-old girl Anuja, who works in a garment factory in Delhi, India, is given a rare opportunity to attend school, she faces a heart-wrenching choice that will impact her and her sister Palak’s future.
The film was developed and shot with the assistance of various community partners, such as the Salaam Baalak Trust, an Indian non-profit and non-governmental organization which provides support for street and working children in the Delhi-NCR. Shine Global, the non-profit production company joined the team in order to help with social impact campaign of the film. [4]
In October 2024, Guneet Monga joined the production team as executive producer. [5] In November 2024, Mindy Kaling joined as producer. [6]
In January 2025, Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined the film as an executive producer. [2]
Anuja had its world premiere in Oscar-qualifying 24th DeadCENTER Film Festival on 8 June 2024. [7]
On 23 July it made it to the official Selection of the 2024 Indy Shorts International Film Festival. [8]
On 17 August 2024, it competed at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Oscar-qualifying categories and won Best Live Action Short Award. [9]
In October 2024, it competed in Montclair Film Festival, where it won Audience Award Short Film. [10]
On 9 November 2024, it was played in Narrative Shorts 9 at the St. Louis International Film Festival in International Spotlight Section. [11]
On 6 December 2024, it was showcased at the HollyShorts London Film Festival in Inaugural Class of 2024 Official Selections. [12]
In January 2025, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the short film. [13]
Mark Jacob reviewing for We Love Short Films rated the film 5 out of 5 stars. Mark Jacob praising Graves, wrote that Graves "skillfully captures the essence of Anuja’s world, using striking visuals to convey her youthful resilience." He opined that "For anyone who appreciates the art of storytelling through film, this is an experience not to be missed." [14]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HollyShorts Film Festival | 19 August 2024 | Best Live Action Short Award | Anuja | Won | [15] |
New York Shorts International Film Festival | 17 October 2024 | Grand Prize | Won | [16] | |
Montclair Film Festival | 27 October 2024 | Audience Award Short Film | Won | [10] [17] | |
Academy Awards | March 2, 2025 | Best Live Action Short Film | Pending | [3] [18] |
Anuja addresses the themes of child labour and girls' education: [19]
Investing in girls' secondary education leads to significant benefits:
The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) is a public trust that organises the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in the city of Mumbai, India. Actor, producer and author Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the chairperson of the trust while Shivendra Singh Dungarpur serves as the interim Festival Director.
Vera Mindy Chokalingam, known professionally as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Known for her work on television, she has received a Tony Award and six nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Thomas Furneaux Lennon is a documentary filmmaker. He was born in Washington, D.C., graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1968 and Yale University in 1973.
Nagesh Bhosale is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He has worked on the 2018 Hollywood film Hotel Mumbai, alongside Jason Isaacs, Armie Hammer and Dev Patel. Nagesh has acted in more than a hundred Indian films and thousands of episodes in Television shows.
Shine Global Inc, is a non-profit media company that was founded in 2005 by Susan MacLaury, and Albie Hecht. Susan MacLaury is the Executive Director of Shine Global. Shine Global has produced projects including War/Dance, a 2008 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary and Inocente, the Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Subject in 2013. In 2024, they produced Anuja, a Oscar shortlisted film in short live action category.
Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri is an Indian-Canadian founder, futurist, film director, and artist.
Siddharth Roy Kapur is an Indian film producer and the founder of Roy Kapur Films. He is the former managing director of The Walt Disney Company India and the former president of the Producers Guild of India in a tenure lasting six terms (2016–22).
Shonali Bose is an Indian film director, writer and film producer. Having made her feature film debut in 2005, she has since won such accolades as a National Film Award, a Bridgestone Narrative Award, and a Sundance Mahindra Global Filmmaker Award.
Guneet Monga is an Indian film producer. She is the producer of the 2023 Academy Award-winning documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers. Monga is the founder of Sikhya Entertainment a boutique film production house that produced notable films like Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1, Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2, Peddlers, The Lunchbox, Masaan, Zubaan and Pagglait.
Sikhya Entertainment is a film production and distribution company that was established by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain in 2008.
Montclair Film is a nonprofit that organizes the annual Montclair Film Festival (MFF). The festival is held between mid- to late- October in Montclair, New Jersey. The festival showcases new works from American and international filmmakers. Films are programmed based on categories including: Fiction, Non-Fiction, World Cinema, Short, and Student Filmmaking.
To Kill a Tiger is a 2022 Hindi-language Canadian documentary film, directed by Nisha Pahuja. The film centres on a family in Jharkhand, India, who are campaigning for justice after their teenage daughter was brutally raped.
Barefoot Empress is an Indo-American short documentary film directed by Vikas Khanna. The film depicts the life story of a woman in India who enrolls in first grade at the age of 96. The film is co-produced by Oscar nominated Doug Roland and Deepak Chopra serves as an executive producer.
Suchitra Mattai is a Guyanese-born American multidisciplinary contemporary artist, of South Asian descent. Her art practice includes mixed media paintings, fiber works, sculptures, and large scale installations which draw upon myth, memory, and her ancestral history, and often invite critical reflection on the legacy of colonialism in the Indo-Caribbean. She lives in Los Angeles, California, and previously lived in Denver, Colorado, and Canada.
The After is a 2023 British short film directed by Misan Harriman in his directorial debut and written by John Julius Schwabach from a story by Harriman. The film starring David Oyelowo and Jessica Plummer, tells the story of Dayo, a grieving rideshare driver who, after losing family members to a violent crime, picks up a passenger who helps him confront the past.
Bottle George is a 2024 Japanese stop motion animated short film about alcohol addiction. The 14-minute film explores the relationship between a young resilient girl and her alcoholic father, and was directed by Oscar-nominated director Daisuke Tsutsumi and co-written by Japanese comedian Akihiro Nishino and Japanese producer Noriko Matsumoto. After its premiere at the San Francisco International Film Festival in April 2024, the film has received several nominations and awards, including the Special Animation Award at the Sapporo International Short Film Festival and the Jury Award for Best Animated Short at the Newport Beach Film Festival. On December 17, 2024, The 21 was shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film.
Room Taken is a 2023 Irish short film directed by Tj O'Grady Peyton. Starring Bríd Brennan, Gabriel Adewusi and Walé Adebusuyi, it follows Isaac, newly arrived in Ireland and looking for a place to stay, when he secretly moves into the home of Victoria, an elderly blind woman, leading them to form a unique bond. It premiered on 11 November 2023 at the 68th Cork International Film Festival.
Abu Shahed Emon is a Bangladeshi film director and producer.
The Only Girl in the Orchestra is a 2023 American musical short documentary film directed by Molly O'Brien. It had its world premiere on November 9, 2023, at DOC NYC in SHORTS: SHE STORIES. It is available for streaming from December 4, 2024 on Netflix.