Logline
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.
Director's Bio
Adam J. Graves is a philosopher-turned-filmmaker, who holds a B.A. in South Asian studies and a Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion from the University of Pennsylvania. Adam has lived extensively in India, where he studied Sanskrit at the Banaras Hindu University, conducted grant-supported research, and volunteered with several youth-focused nonprofits in Rajasthan, Bihar, UP, and MP. Author of The Phenomenology of Revelation, Adam is a professor of philosophy at MSU Denver, where he teaches film & philosophy, and directs Dphi, a center that explores the intersection of philosophy, film, literature, and the arts. He wrote, directed and produced the short film Cycle Vérité (2021) and produced and edited the documentary short The Other Side of the Sun (currently in post-production).
Producer's Bio
Suchitra Mattai 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. She received an MFA in painting and drawing and an MA in South Asian art from the University of Pennsylvania. Her works are included in the collections of Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Nasher Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Joselyn Museum, the Tia Collection, the Perez Collection, the Shah Garg collection, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Upcoming projects include solo exhibitions at the ICA San Francisco (San Francisco), the Tampa Museum of Art (Tampa, FL), the National Museum for Women in the Arts (Washington, DC) and Socrates Sculpture Park (NYC, NY). She produced the short film Cycle Vérité (2021).
Director's Statement
I was in the early stages of developing a coming-of-age film, when Suchitra Mattai (my wife and producing partner) happened upon an unsettling statistic: globally, nearly one in ten children under the age of fifteen is subject to child labor (i.e., labor that is detrimental to one’s health, development, and education). The figure seemed very real to us. Our own children were about that age, and they (through my wife’s side of the family) are descendants of indentured laborers from the state of Uttar Pradesh. It was disquieting to think that this ancestral past was a living present for over one hundred and sixty million children around the world.
As the pandemic subsided, discussions about the global supply chain became a fixture in the daily news. Unsurprisingly, the coverage focused almost exclusively on the consumer-end of the story—on the scarcity of goods and the toll it was taking on the economic recovery. But the lack of attention to the supply-side of the story seemed to underscore just how easy it is for affluent communities to ignore their place in a global economic system that often contributes to the exploitation of labor, including child labor.
We wondered why so few coming-of-age films feature the lives of working children. There was an important story here, or rather an entire universe of stories waiting to be told. So, I dove headlong into the research on child labor, paying particular attention to sectors known to export products to wealthier nations. Given my longstanding ties to South Asia—where I’ve studied, conducted grant-supported research, and worked with several nonprofits—I was lucky to have a plethora of personal contacts to draw on. I was put in touch with NGOs that provide assistance to working children and their families, such as the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Work: No Child’s Business. This led me to visit the Salaam Baalak Trust, where I met with working (and formerly working) children, visiting their homes, observing their work, and meeting their families. Many of these children, mostly young girls, left school at a young age in order to help support their families.
Despite facing difficult circumstances, the girls I met were resilient, gifted, and inspiring. It was impossible not to be moved by their ability to find and to create joy amidst harsh realities. I felt it was important to make a film that was true to their experiences, but was also something they would want to watch and discuss themselves—one that drew from reality, but without focusing excessively on the doom-and-gloom. I wanted to capture that wondrous combination of magic and emotion, of innocence and mischief, which is part of childhood itself—these are kids after all, not statistics. Though every film is collaborative, this one was much more so than most. Were it not for the talent and support of the children of the Salaam Baalak Trust (especially our brilliant star, Sajda Pathan), we never could have brought this important story to the screen.
In the News
Community
ANUJA was researched and filmed with the help of several community partners, including the Salaam Baalak Trust, a nonprofit organization that offers education and opportunity to thousands of
street and working children.
Our film's lead role is played by Sajda Pathan, a resident of a Salaam Baalak center that provides a home for girls formerly living on the streets of Delhi.
Social Impact
We are excited to announce that Shine Global, the non-profit production company behind Oscar-winning Inocente (2012) and Emmy-winning War/Dance (2007), has joined our team in order to help with our social impact campaign. We hope to rise awareness about child labor and the actions we can take to create positive change. If you'd like to help organize a screening for your community, school, or organization, please contact us here.
Trailer
Anuja
Palak
Mr. Verma
Mr. Mishra
Floor Manager
Friendly Shopper
Store Manager
Security Guard
Shopper
Sajda Pathan
Ananya Shanbhag
Nagesh Bhonsle
Gulshan Walia
Sushil Parwana
Sunita Bhadauria
Rudolfo Rajeev Hubert
Jugal Kishore
Pankaj Gupta
Writer & Directer
Producers
​
​
​​
​
​​
​
Executive Producers
​
Director of Photography
​
Community Consultants
​
​
Story Consultant
Editors
​
​
Casting
​
​
​
Original Music
Assistant Director
Director’s Assistant
Production Sound Mixer
First Assistant Camera
Second Assistant Camera
Studio Teacher
Colorist
Adam J. Graves
​
Mindy Kaling
Suchitra Mattai
Krushan Naik
Michael Graves
Aaron Kopp
Ksheetij Saini
Alexandra Blaney
​
Guneet Monga Kapoor
Michael Graves
​
Akash Raje
​
Sunita Bhadauria, Work: No Child's Business
Devika Sharma, Salaam Baalak Trust
​
Pankaj Gupta
​
Krushan Naik
Adam J. Graves
​
Romil Modi
Adam j. Graves
Michael Graves
​
Fabrizio Mancinelli
Ksheetij Saini
Laura Salagnac
Prasanjeet Das
Siddharth Gadhia
Pooja Kadam
Nirmala Devi
​Aaryaman Kutty