The 2025 Oscar nominations were announced on January 23, hosted by Bowen Yang, Rachel Sennott, Sian Heder, and Eric Roth. Indian short film Anuja earned a nomination.
Directed by Adam J Graves, the film tells the story of two sisters facing hardship.
The nominations for the 2025 Oscars, along with the writers, were announced today, January 23, at 7 PM IST. Hosted by Bowen Yang, Rachel Sennott, Sian Heder, and Eric Roth, the event took place at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. It was live-streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, Oscar.com, Oscars.org, and the Academy’s social channels, and broadcast on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Initially scheduled for January 17, the announcement was delayed twice due to the LA wildfires, which disrupted voting schedules. In response, the Academy extended the voting period and canceled the traditional Oscar Nominees Luncheon.
Indian Short Film Anuja Bags Nomination in Best Live Action Short Category
Indian cinema continues to make its mark on the global stage as Anuja, backed by Priyanka Chopra and Oscar-winner Guneet Monga Kapoor, earns a nomination in the Best Live Action Short Film category at the 2025 Oscars.
The film was produced in partnership with the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a non-profit founded by Mira Nair’s family to support street and working children, and Shine Global, the team behind Oscar-winning projects like War/Dance (2007) and Inocente (2012). Krushan Naik Films and Mindy Kaling are also part of the production team, with Guneet Monga Kapoor, already a two-time Oscar winner (The Elephant Whisperers and Period: End of Sentence), joining as a producer.
If successful, this could be Monga’s third win, further showcasing the power of Indian stories on the world stage.
The film tells the touching and inspiring story of two sisters, Anuja and Palak, who navigate a harsh world that seeks to exploit and exclude them. Focusing on 9-year-old Anuja, who works alongside her older sister in a garment factory, the narrative follows her as she faces a life-changing decision that impacts not only her own future but also those around her. Director Adam J. Graves describes the film as a tribute to the resilience of working children and their untold stories.
Priyanka Chopra, who has supported the project, celebrated its release on Netflix by sharing a heartfelt post on Instagram recently. She expressed her pride in the film, writing, “Proud of this beautiful film.”
