Meet Geeta Gandbhir, director with 2 Oscar nominations in 2026
Geeta Gandbhir, a Boston-born director with Indian roots, just scored two nominations at the 2026 Oscars—one for Best Documentary Feature (Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor) and another for Best Documentary Short (HBO's The Devil is Busy).
She's now among the rare filmmakers recognized in both categories in the same year.
Gandbhir has won 2 Emmys previously
Gandbhir, who grew up in an immigrant family and studied at Harvard, spent years learning from legends like Spike Lee.
She's already won two Emmys and multiple awards for her work on HBO's Black and Missing.
Her projects often spotlight real-life stories that hit close to home.
'The Perfect Neighbor' is a deeply personal project for her
The Perfect Neighbor revisits the shooting of Ajike Owens—someone close to Gandbhir's own family—using police footage to tell a deeply personal story.
"This is a story that happened to my family, and I made it to mitigate grief," she shared.
Her other film, The Devil is Busy (co-directed with Christalyn Hampton), follows Tracii, the head of security at the Feminist Women's Health Center in Atlanta, across a single day protecting patients and staff from protesters.
Both films show Gandbhir's commitment to telling powerful stories with heart.