Imani Charles: Outreach & Engagement Intern Imani Charles is a recent graduate of The New School with a B.A in Culture and Media. She has a background in film production and is super interested in the intersection of media and advocacy. Imani believes in the power of documentary in fostering empathy and awareness, and was fascinated by Shine Global’s commitment to empowering children and amplifying unrepresented voices. She’s super thrilled to learn and grow as an intern this season!
Ashanti Sharrieff: Content & Marketing Intern Ashanti Sharrieff is a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at the University of Lynchburg, currently based in New York. With a background in media production, she has interned at First Gen Content, where she worked on feature film projects, and at HBO Max, contributing to a variety of media content. Ashanti is also the founder of True Tone Collective, a media production company focused on creating impactful, culturally relevant content. She is excited to intern at Shine Global Inc. because it offers the opportunity to learn how a non-profit film company partners with filmmakers, brands and lawmakers to create impactful, educational content that drives legal and social change.
Free Companion Discussion Guide For Anuja Nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short
Shine Global is pleased to offer this free companion discussion guide to our nominated short film Anuja for viewers to download. The film is now available to watch on Netflix!
Anuja, crafted by husband-and-wife team Adam J. Graves (writer/director) and Suchitra Mattai (producer), tells a stirring tale of two sisters struggling to find joy and opportunity in a world intent on their exploitation and exclusion. This powerful short follows Anuja, a precocious nine-year-old orphan who works in a back-alley garment factory alongside her older sister Palak, when she is suddenly faced with a rare opportunity that will determine the fate of her future and family.
Our goal is to provide viewers, screening hosts, and educators with flexibility to begin discussing the issues presented in the film, depending upon your needs and interests, and those of your students or participants. With these materials, we hope to encourage the exploration of some difficult questions about our global labor system and promote the development of new ideas.
Anuja was produced by Graves Films in partnership with the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a nonprofit that supports street and working children, Shine Global, the production company behind Emmy and Academy Award-winning films such as War/Dance (2007) and Inocente (2012), and Krushan Naik Films. Additional team members include Producers Mindy Kaling, Guneet Monga Kapoor, Krushan Naik, Michael Graves, Aaron Kopp, Ksheetij Saini, and Alexandra Blaney, Executive Producers Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Michael Christopher Graves, Anita Bhatia, Co-Executive Producers Archana Misra Jain, Susan MacLaury, Albie Hecht, and Music by Fabrizio Mancinelli.
### About Shine Global Shine Global is a non-profit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change. Since our founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, and Comedy Against the Odds which is currently in film festivals.
ABOUT SHINE GLOBAL’S RESILIENCE AWARDS These awards recognize and celebrate the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity. The awards are open to films of any genre that showcase children overcoming challenges, such as poverty, violence, illness, and discrimination, and demonstrate their resilience, courage, and determination.
Imani Charles: Outreach & Engagement Intern
Ashanti Sharrieff: Content & Marketing Intern
About Shine Global