New Delhi-based short film ‘Anuja’ earns nomination for Oscars 2025

The short film Anuja, set in New Delhi, earned a nomination in the Live Action Short category at the 97th Academy Awards on Thursday. Directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, Anuja will compete against A Lien, I’m Not a Robot, The Last Ranger, and The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent at the prestigious event.

The 2025 Oscars nominations, delayed twice earlier this month due to Los Angeles wildfires, were announced by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott. Anuja tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old girl who faces a life-altering decision between education and factory work alongside her sister, a choice that will shape their futures. The film stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag.

The project boasts two-time Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga as executive producer, with Hollywood star and writer Mindy Kaling serving as producer. It was created in collaboration with the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a nonprofit founded by filmmaker Mira Nair’s family to support street and working children, along with Shine Global and Krushan Naik Films. Recently, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined the project as an executive producer.

In addition to Anuja, another film with an Indian connection, I Am Ready, Warden, received a nomination in the Documentary Short Film category. Directed by Indian-origin American filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, the film explores the story of Texas death row prisoner John Henry Ramirez, who seeks forgiveness from his victim’s son in the days leading up to his execution in 2022. Mundhra, Maya Gnyp, Keri Blakinger, and Nina Anand Aujla produced the film.

Other nominees in the Documentary Short Film category include Death by Numbers, Incident, Instruments of a Beating Heart, and The Only Girl in the Orchestra. Mundhra previously earned an Oscar nomination in the same category for her 2019 film St. Louis Superman.

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Meanwhile, many in India had high hopes for Payal Kapadia’s critically acclaimed film All We Imagine As Light to secure an Oscar nomination. Although it was overlooked as India’s official entry for Best International Feature Film, the movie made history as the first Indian title to win the Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024. It is now nominated for Best Film Not in English Language at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards.

The 2025 Academy Awards ceremony is set to take place on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

(With inputs from PTI)