Indian-American Director Geeta Gandbhir Receives Two Oscar Nominations

Indian-American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir has earned two nominations at the 98th Academy Awards. While films like Homebound starring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa missed out, Gandbhir’s work has been recognized in two categories.

She received her first nomination for directing the feature documentary The Perfect Neighbor and the second for co-directing the documentary short The Devil Is Busy alongside Cristlin Hampton.

About Geeta Gandbhir
Gandbhir, 55, began her career in film editing, working with renowned directors such as Spike Lee and Sam Pollard. She has previously won two Emmy Awards for non-fiction programming. Her directorial works include When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2007) and By the People: The Election of Barack Obama (2010).

Born to Indian parents Lalita and Sharad—who moved to the U.S. to study chemical engineering—Gandbhir was raised in Boston and studied at Harvard University. She has a sister, Una S. Gandbhir, and a brother, Ashwin, who is also a filmmaker.

Oscar-Nominated Films
The Perfect Neighbor, streaming on Netflix, revolves around a murder mystery involving a 35-year-old woman. The Devil Is Busy, an HBO original documentary short, explores the lives of medical staff and the risks they take in their line of work.

These nominations mark Gandbhir’s first recognition at the Oscars, highlighting her significant contribution to documentary filmmaking and non-fiction storytelling.