Geeta Gandbhir Creates Oscar History with Dual Documentary Nominations
Indian-American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir has emerged as one of the most significant documentary voices of the year, achieving an extraordinary milestone by securing two Academy Award nominations in a single Oscars season. This remarkable accomplishment places her firmly among the leading contenders in this year's awards race, highlighting her exceptional storytelling abilities across different documentary formats.
Unprecedented Oscar Recognition
On January 22, 2026, Gandbhir received her first-ever Oscar nominations, earning recognition in both the Best Documentary Feature Film and Best Documentary Short Film categories. For most filmmakers, even one Oscar nomination represents a career-defining moment, but securing two nominations in the same year across different documentary categories is exceptionally rare. This achievement signals a filmmaker operating at the highest level in both feature-length and short-form documentary storytelling.
Her nominated projects, The Perfect Neighbour and The Devil Is Busy, tackle urgent contemporary issues ranging from violence and racial tensions to reproductive healthcare and protest dynamics. These nominations confirm Gandbhir's position as one of the standout documentary filmmakers of this awards cycle.
Meet the Filmmaker Behind the Nominations
Geeta Gandbhir is a director, producer, and editor renowned for creating documentaries centered on social justice, power dynamics, and systemic inequities. Her body of work has earned significant recognition over the years, including prestigious Emmy and Peabody honors. She is widely admired for her ability to combine sharp, insightful storytelling with profound emotional depth.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Indian parents who immigrated to the United States in the 1960s, Gandbhir studied at Harvard University where she pursued visual art with a focus on animation. Before establishing her reputation in documentary filmmaking, she began her career through narrative work and behind-the-scenes roles, gradually transitioning into non-fiction storytelling.
Along her professional journey, she has collaborated with influential figures including Spike Lee and Sam Pollard, experiences that have significantly shaped her approach to documentary cinema and contributed to her distinctive filmmaking style.
The Nominated Documentary: The Perfect Neighbour
Gandbhir's documentary The Perfect Neighbour is nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film. The film examines the 2023 fatal shooting of Ajike Owens in Ocala, Florida, utilizing police body-camera footage to reconstruct events and explore critical social issues including:
- Neighbourhood conflicts and community tensions
- Racial dynamics in contemporary America
- How self-defence claims are evaluated in legal systems
- The legal and social debates surrounding "stand your ground" laws
The Perfect Neighbour premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where Gandbhir won the US Documentary Directing Award, significantly boosting the film's awards momentum. The documentary is currently available for streaming on Netflix, making these important conversations accessible to a global audience.
The Nominated Short Film: The Devil Is Busy
Her second nomination comes in the Best Documentary Short Film category for The Devil Is Busy, which she co-directed with Christalyn Hampton. This powerful 31-minute documentary follows Tracii, the head of security at a women's healthcare clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, as she works to protect patients and staff amid challenging circumstances including:
- Increasing abortion restrictions and legislative changes
- Heightened protest activity and social tensions
- Rising safety pressures on healthcare facilities
The film provides an intimate look at the human impact of political and social conflicts, and is currently available to stream on HBO Max, bringing this important story to viewers worldwide.
Gandbhir's Distinctive Filmmaking Approach
Gandbhir has established herself as a filmmaker who confronts difficult realities directly and thoughtfully. Her work consistently focuses on several key themes:
- Personal stories that reflect broader national issues and social dynamics
- Institutions and systems that shape everyday lives and experiences
- The human cost of polarized conflicts and social divisions
- Power dynamics in public spaces and community interactions
Her films are characterized by their grounded, intimate approach and political sharpness, while never losing sight of the individual human stories at their center. This balance between personal narrative and social commentary has become a hallmark of her documentary style.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where Gandbhir will compete in both documentary categories, potentially making history with her dual nominations. Her achievement represents not only personal recognition but also highlights the growing importance of documentary filmmaking in addressing critical social issues and amplifying underrepresented voices in contemporary cinema.
