Anuja Receives Oscar Nomination For Best Live Action Short Film At 2025 Academy Awards

The short film "Anuja," set in New Delhi, has secured a nomination in the Live Action Short category for the 97th Academy Awards. Directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, it will compete against films like "A Lien," "I'm Not a Robot," "The Last Ranger," and "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent." The nominations for the 2025 Oscars were announced by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott after being delayed due to wildfires in Los Angeles.

"Anuja" tells the story of a talented nine-year-old girl who faces a tough decision between education and working in a factory with her sister, impacting their futures. The film features Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag. Guneet Monga, a two-time Oscar-winning producer, serves as executive producer, while Mindy Kaling is involved as a producer. The project is produced with Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), Shine Global, and Krushan Naik Films. Recently, Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined as an executive producer.

In addition to "Anuja," another film with Indian ties, "I Am Ready, Warden," received a nomination in the Documentary Short Film category. Directed by Smriti Mundhra, an Indian-origin American filmmaker, it explores Texas death row inmate John Henry Ramirez's quest for redemption from his victim's son before his execution in 2022. Produced by Mundhra along with Maya Gnyp, Keri Blakinger, and Nina Anand Aujla, it competes against films like "Death by Numbers," "Incident," "Instruments of a Beating Heart," and "The Only Girl in the Orchestra." Mundhra was previously nominated in this category for her film "St. Louis Superman" at the 2019 Oscars.

Many anticipated Payal Kapadia's acclaimed film "All We Imagine As Light" would receive an Oscar nomination but it did not. Despite being overlooked as India's official entry for Best International Feature at the Oscars, it made history by winning the Grand Prix Award at Cannes Film Festival in May 2024. It is also nominated for Best Film Not in English Language at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards.

The 2025 Academy Awards are scheduled for March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.