Starring: Sajda Pathan, Ananya Shanbhag, Nagesh Bhonsle
Director: Adam J. Graves
This India-set film, backed by high-flying producers including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, has been nominated for next month’s Oscars in the Best Live Action Short Film category. So, what makes this Netflix offering a worthy contender for the coveted trophy?
Anuja (Pathan) is a child prodigy who has the potential to break free from the shackles of poverty, eking out a living as a child labourer in a garment factory in Delhi. Her elder sister, Palak (Shanbhag), keeps her smiling by keeping the fading memories of their late mother alive with bedtime stories in their ramshackle roadside tenement. Recognising her little sister’s talents, Palak is also keen to encourage her learning potential by reading through discarded scraps of newspapers.
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When the local schoolteacher makes a visit to the factory to encourage Anuja to sit a scholarship exam, which he is confident she will ace, the nine-year-old isn’t the only one hesitant for fear of losing Palak’s companionship. Their factory manager is opposed to her schooling for fear of losing Anuja’s gifted accountancy skills.
However, Palak is determined to try and get her little sister away from the drudgery of sewing garments to feed the world’s addiction to fast fashion. She uses her skills and ingenuity to secretly stitch up a number of striking handbags using scraps of clothing on the factory floor. Will her plan to sell these at attractive shopping mall rates to collect enough money for Anuja’s schooling succeed or will the sisters remain caught up in the spiral of child labour?
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This film is a shining example of how simple heart-felt storytelling can pack a punch within a just 22 minutes. Its last frame offering a glimpse of the girls and boys from the Salaam Baalak Trust, a charity supporting street-children in Delhi, makes the story all the more poignant. While depicting a rather distressing subject, ‘Anuja’ manages to strike a rather hopeful and uplifting tone – not least thanks to the warm and infectious smiles of the lead child actors.
iGlobal will most certainly be rooting for this sweet short film to go all the way at the Academy Awards in Hollywood.