One of the Academy Award nominees for Best Live Action Short Film of 2024 was written and directed by Adam J. Graves, professor of philosophy at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and produced by his wife, artist Suchitra Mattai (among others).

Adam Graves, Suchitra Mattai, and the poster for Anuja

The film, Anuja, “tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old girl who, alongside her sister Palak, faces a life-changing opportunity that tests their bond and mirrors the struggles of girls worldwide.”

The film has already won the grand prize at the New York Shorts International Film Festival and was named best live action film at the HollyShorts Film Festival.

Graves teaches film and philosophy at Metropolitan State and directs the Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry (Dphi), a center that explores the intersection of philosophy, film, literature, and the arts. Besides Anuja, he wrote, directed and produced the short film Cycle Vérité (2021) and produced and edited the documentary short The Other Side of the Sun, which is currently in post-production. He is the author of The Phenomenology of Revelation in Heidegger, Marion and Ricoeur.

The winner will be announced at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 2nd, 2025.

Here’s the trailer for the film:

(via Jeremy Davis)