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New Delhi:Geeta Gandbhir, the Indian-American filmmaker, has made history with two Oscar nominations for the 98th Academy Awards. Her short film The Devil Is Busy competes in Best Documentary Short, while The Perfect Neighbour is up for Best Documentary Feature.

Born to Indian immigrants, she tackles tough issues like women’s safety, racial injustice, and social change through powerful stories. With Emmys and Peabodys already under her belt, this rising star is set to shine brighter.

Geeta Gandbhir grew up in the Boston area. Her parents immigrated from India to the US in the 1960s—her father for chemical engineering studies. She studied visual art at Harvard University, focusing on animation, where she met mentors Spike Lee and Sam Pollard.

Geetab Gandbhir began in narrative films, working for Spike Lee and Sam Pollard. She soon shifted to documentaries, editing key projects like the Peabody-winning If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise on Hurricane Katrina. Over two decades, she has directed, produced, and edited films on social justice.

•  The Devil Is Busy (2024, co-directed with Christalyn Hampton): Follows a security head at an Atlanta women’s clinic amid abortion protests. Nominated for Best Documentary Short.
• The Perfect Neighbour (2025, directed and produced): Netflix doc on the 2023 fatal shooting of Black neighbour Ajike Owens by Susan Louise Lorincz. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature; won Sundance Directing Award.
• Other hits include I Am Evidence (2017) on rape kit delays and Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (2022).

Gandbhir has won multiple Emmys, including for editing and shorts like Through Our Eyes: Apart (2022). She earned Peabodys for Asian Americans (2020) and others. The 98th Oscars ceremony is on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre.