Anuja 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. This incredible short won BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT at the 2024 HollyShorts Film Festival and has been shortlisted for the 2025 Oscars®. Written and Written and Directed by Adam J. Graves and Produced by Suchitra Mattai with additional producers Mindy Kaling, Shine Global’s Alexandra Blaney, Krushan Naik (Resurgence), and Aaron Kopp (Saving Face, Liyana, Hunting Ground) and Executive Producer Guneet Monga Kapoor.

When Anuja, a precocious nine-year-old orphan, quits school to work alongside her sister at a local garment factory, she finds herself faced with a choice that will determine the fate of her future and her family.

Anuja was produced in partnership with the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a nonprofit founded by the family of renowned director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), and Shine Global, the non-profit production company behind Emmy and Academy Award-winning films such as War/Dance (2007) and Inocente (2012) with the mission to improve the lives of children by telling powerful stories that raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  Lead actress Sajda Pathan grew up living with her older sister on the streets of the jhuggi (slum) in Old Delhi, after being abandoned by her parents. She spent her days begging outside a Hanuman temple, until social workers from SBT invited her to attend non-formal education at their center in Yamuna Bazaar.

Anuja explores themes of child labor and girls’ education and with 1 in 10 children worldwide in child labor and 129 million girls out of school, the team plans to use the film to raise awareness about the international scope of these issues.

Adam J. Graves (Writer/Director) is a philosopher-turned-filmmaker, who holds a B.A. in South Asian studies and a Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Religion from the University of Pennsylvania. Adam is author of The Phenomenology of Revelation and a professor of philosophy at MSU Denver, where he teaches film & philosophy. Adam wrote, directed and produced the award winning short film Cycle Vérité (2021) and produced and edited the documentary short The Other Side of the Sun (2024).  He is married to the acclaimed visual artist Suchitra Mattai (producer of Anuja).

Suchitra Mattai (Producer) is a multi-disciplinary artist of South Asian descent, whose work celebrates the power of women, reimagines historical narratives, and explores her family’s history of indentured labor.  Her works are included in the collections of Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Nasher Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Joselyn Museum, the Tia Collection, the Perez Collection, the Shah Garg collection, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

Anuja had its World Premiere at deadCenter Film Festival, won BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT at the HollyShorts Film Festival, the Audience Award at Montclair Film Festival, and the Grand Prize at the New York International Short Film Festival. The film has been shortlisted for the 2025 Oscars®.  Nominations voting  begins on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 and concludes on Sunday, January 12th, 2025. Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Friday, January 17th, 2025.

Along with actors Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag, the film also features popular award-winning Indian television actor, Nagesh Bhonsle, best known internationally for his supporting role as police deputy commissioner, “Vam” in Hotel Mumbai starring Dev Patel. Other team members include Susan MacLaury, Albie Hecht, Michael Graves and Ksheetij Saini with original music by Fabrizio Mancinelli.

You can make a donation to support Shine Global’s efforts using Anuja as a tool to combat child labor.

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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
This annual event recognizes and celebrates 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.

Emmy-nominated writer, Tony Award-winning producer, New York Times best-selling author, actor and National Medal of Arts recipient Mindy Kaling has joined the live-action short Anuja as producer. Kaling is best known for her starring role in the U.S. version of The Office, as well as her own show, The Mindy Project, and producing hits such as Never Have I Ever for Netflix and The Sex Lives of College Girls for HBO Max.  Kaling brings her expertise as a trailblazing force within the arts and entertainment industry and her work uplifting underrepresented voices, foregrounding stories of women and girls.

Anuja is the brainchild of the husband-and-wife team composed of philosopher-turned-filmmaker Adam J. Graves and the visual artist Suchitra Mattai. With Graves directing and Mattai producing, Anuja tells the story of a gifted 9-year-old girl, Anuja (Sajda Pathan), who works in a garment factory in Delhi, India. When she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend school, she is forced to make a heart-wrenching decision that will determine her and her sister Palak’s (Ananya Shanbhag) fate.

“My favorite film of the year is Anuja, the story of an extraordinary 9-year-old Indian girl and her sister. The genius filmmakers Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai have created something so special, and I’m honored to join as a producer,” said Kaling.

The film has momentum going into Oscar voting season, having won Best Live Action Short at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles, the Audience Award at Montclair Film Festival, and the Grand Prize at the New York International Short Film Festival. In October, it was announced that Oscar-winning Indian powerhouse producer Guneet Monga Kapoor (The Elephant Whisperers, Period. End of Sentence) has also joined the film as an Executive Producer. 

“We are truly humbled by Mindy’s belief in the power of this story, and we can’t imagine a better partner to help carry Anuja forward,” said Mattai. Graves added, “We know that her own inspiring voice will help amplify the issues surrounding child labor and girls’ education and empower the film to make a more significant impact.”   

Kaling and Monga Kapoor’s support is complemented by the team from Shine Global (the nonprofit behind Oscar-nominated War/Dance and the Oscar-winning short documentary Inocente), Krushan Naik Films (Resurgence), and the India-based nonprofit Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT). Lead actress Sajda Pathan, whose own life experience parallels that of the character she portrays, currently lives in a SBT home that provides support for children who had been living and working on the streets of New Delhi. The film’s partnership with both Shine Global and SBT will support a campaign around the film focusing on child labor and girls’ education.

Along with actors Pathan and Shanbhag, the film also features popular award-winning Indian television actor, Nagesh Bhonsle, best known internationally for his supporting role as police deputy commissioner, “Vam” in Hotel Mumbai starring Dev Patel. Additional members of the producing team are Krushan Naik (Resurgence), Aaron Kopp (Saving Face, Liyana, Hunting Ground), and Alexandra Blaney (Co-CEO and Creative Director, Shine Global) who serve as producers on the film. Other team members include Susan MacLaury, Albie Hecht, Michael Graves and Ksheetij Saini.

You can make a donation to support Shine Global’s efforts using Anuja as a tool to combat child labor.

###
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
This annual event recognizes and celebrates 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.