Adam J. Graves’ powerful short film ANUJA nominated for an Academy Award

Director Adam J. Graves’ short film ‘Anuja’, about a gifted 9-year-old girl working as a child labourer. The brilliant young star Sajda Pathan, who plays ANUJA has quite a similar story to Anuja. Pathan currently resides in the care of the Salaam Baalak Trust.

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’, produced in collaboration with the non-profit organization Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), supporting street and working children, follows a 9-year-old, back-alley garment factory worker, and her sister Palak, where the young protagonist is ‘offered with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend school’, but she is forced to make a heart-wrenching decision that will determine her and her sister’s fate.

Adam J. Graves (Writer/Director) is a philosopher-turned-filmmaker who wrote, directed and produced the award winning short film Cycle Vérité (2021). 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.