Short film ‘Anuja’ by Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai has now got Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor backing it. ‘Anuja’ is a coming-of-age story that talks about the internal battle between sisterhood and Child Labour.
‘Anuja’ won the Best Live Action Short at the 2024 HollyShorts Film Festival and has now qualified for the prestigious Academy Award consideration.
As per the official longline for ‘Anuja’, “When a precocious nine-year-old girl who works in a back-alley garment factory is offered a rare chance to attend boarding school, she faces a choice that will determine the fate of her future and her family.”
‘Anuja’ is a result of thorough research and was filmed with the help of several community partners including Salaam Baalak Trust. Infact Sajda Pathaan who plays the lead role is a resident of this trust’s center that provides a home for girls formerly living on the streets of Delhi.
Guneet Monga Kapoor’s documentary film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won the best documentary short at the Academy Awards 2023. She is also known for backing several other acclaimed films like ‘Kill’, ‘The Lunchbox’, and ‘Masaan’ among others.
Director of ‘Anuja’ Adam J. Graves is a philosopher-turned-filmmaker, with a Bachelor’s degree in South Asian Studies and a doctorate in the philosophy of religion. He has also studied Sanskrit from Banaras Hindu University. As for his wife and producer of ‘Anuja’, she is multi-disciplinary artist of South Asian descent and her works are included in the collections of Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Nasher Museum of Art and many more.