Indian film producer Guneet Monga’s Anuja, backed by Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, lost the Oscar for Best Live Action Short to Dutch-language short film I'm Not a Robot on Monday.
The other films nominated in the live action short category were The Last Ranger (Darwin Shaw, Cindy Lee), A Lien (David Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz), The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Nebojša Slijepčević, Danijel Pek).
Directed by Adam J. Graves and produced by Suchitra Mattai, the film follows the story of two sisters striving to find joy and opportunity in a world rife with exploitation and exclusion. Anuja reflects the universal struggles faced by young girls worldwide.
Anuja has been backed by Suchitra Mattai, Krushan Naik, Aaron Kopp, Devananda Graves, Michael Graves, Ksheetij Saini, and Alexandra Blaney as producers. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Anita Bhatia serve as executive producers alongside Archana Jain, Susan MacLaury, and Albie Hecht.
Grounded in extensive research and developed in collaboration with community partners, Anuja features Sajda Pathan — who is a beneficiary of Mira Nair's Salaam Baalak Trust, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering street and working children — in the lead. Additional insights for the film were drawn from organisations such as the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Save the Children.
Directed by Victoria Warmerdam, I’m Not A Robot follows Lara, who is transported into a bizarre new reality after repeatedly failing CAPTCHA tests. It premiered worldwide at the Netherlands Film Festival on September 23, 2023, as part of the Golden Calf Competition.