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The 2024 deadCenter Film Festival showcased stories from across the globe. Few films demonstrate the power of an important story that generates empathy and awareness more than the short film Anuja. The film follows the story of a nine-year-old orphan living on the streets of Delhi who is offered a rare chance to attend a boarding school that could alter her family’s future.
deadCenter’s Oscar-qualifying status for short films has put it on the radar of more filmmakers, including writer/director Adam J. Graves and his wife and producer Suchitra Mattai. After submitting Anuja with their partners at Shine Global, the duo accepted the invitation to make their world premiere at Oklahoma’s largest film festival as part of the Humanity Shorts block. It is one of many categories the festival offers dedicated to short stories that are “Tender, hopeful, and deeply empathetic.” Their goal is to raise awareness of the humanitarian issues of child labor (labor that is detrimental to one’s health, development, and education) and inspire children in these situations.
Graves and Mattai join The Cinematic Schematic to discuss what made them want to tell this story and why understanding the interconnected world we live in related to child labor is important. They also share why they decided to hold the world premiere of Anuja at deadCenter.
Find more deadCenter 2024 coverage at The Cinematropolis.
Left to Right: Suchitra Mattai (Producer), Caleb Masters (Podcast Host) and Adam J. Graves (Writer/Director)
Special Guests
Adam J. Graves
Writer/Director
Suchitra Mattai
Producer
About Anuja
Anuja, an exceptionally bright nine-year-old orphan, has quit school to work alongside her sister Palak (17) at a back-alley garment factory. When Anuja’s former teacher shows up at the factory doors, promising her a rare chance to attend an elite boarding school, she finds herself facing both external hurdles and inner conflict. As the sisters work together to overcome these challenges, we witness their ingenuity and the loving bond between them. But, like Anuja herself, we are left wrestling with a decision that far too many young girls around the globe are forced to make every day.
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