Indian-American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir made Oscar history at the 98th Academy Awards, but the momentous night ended without a win. Gandbhir entered the ceremony with two nominations: one for the best feature documentary and one for the best short documentary. This made her the first woman to earn nominations in both documentary categories in the same year. Even without a trophy, its double nomination placed it among the notable documentary nominees for this year’s Oscars.
Geeta Gandbhir’s Oscar journey
According to Network18, Gandbhir’s short film ‘The Devil Is Busy’, which he co-directed with Christalyn Hampton, competed in the Best Documentary Short category. The film was nominated alongside ‘All the Empty Rooms’, ‘Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud’, ‘Children No More: Were and Are Gone’ and ‘Perfectly a Strangeness’. When the winner was announced, ‘All the Empty Rooms’ received the Oscar.The film follows Traci, who “works as the head of security at a women’s health clinic in Atlanta, Georgia.” It shows a day in the life of her protecting patients and staff as the clinic faces “increasing protests and stricter abortion restrictions.” The 31-minute documentary turned a tense local reality into a national story.
Geeta Gandbhir and ‘The Perfect Neighbor’
The report also noted that Gandbhir earned a Best Documentary nomination for Netflix’s “The Perfect Neighbor,” which he directed and produced. The film includes ‘The Alabama Solution’, ‘Come See Me in the Good Light’, ‘Cutting through Rocks’ and ‘Mr. No one against Putin.” In the end, ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin won the award, leaving Gandbhir undefeated in both categories.‘The Perfect Neighbor’ revisits a deadly shooting in June 2023 in Ocala, Florida. The documentary recounts how “Susan Louise Lorincz, a white woman, shot and killed her black neighbor Ajike Owens during an altercation.” The case attracted national attention, and the film brought it back into focus through documentary storytelling.Born to Indian parents who immigrated to the United States in the 1960s, Gandbhir has built a reputation in documentary filmmaking over nearly two decades. He was mentored by Spike Lee and Sam Pollard, and his work has won Emmy and Peabody honors. His notable projects include ‘I Am Evidence’, ‘Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power’, and the Emmy-winning short film ‘Through Our Eyes: Apart’.Its nominations were India’s only direct link to the Oscars this year as well, as Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ failed to make it to the list of Best International Film.See more: Full list of Oscars 2026 winners update: Michael B. Jordan wins best actor for “Sinners,” Jessie Buckley wins best actress for “Hamnet,” “One Battle After Another” wins best picture.
