Geeta Gandbhir

Geeta Gandbhir is an American filmmaker known for her work as a director, producer, and editor. Focusing her works on documentary and television series, she has won multiple awards including five Emmy Awards and a Peabody Awards. In 2025 she directed and produced The Perfect Neighbor, focusing on the killing of Ajike Owens, which earned her Academy Awards and British Academy Film Awards nominations.

Early life and education Gandbhir's father Sharad immigrated from India to the US in the 1960s to study chemical engineering and her mother Lalita joined him, with the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Her sister Una S. Gandbhir is a superior court judge for the Third Judicial District serving Anchorage, Alaska. Her brother Ashwin Gandbhir is also a filmmaker and editor.

Gandbhir went to Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY) where she studied Women's Studies. She later taught at Harvard University, where she was introduced to Spike Lee, who was teaching there, and an editor for Lee, Sam Pollard.

Career She started her career in narrative film working for Spike Lee and Sam Pollard, and then branched into documentary film. Her films include Hungry to Learn and I Am Evidence.

She was the editor of the Spike Lee-produced HBO documentary film If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise about life after Hurricane Katrina, which won the 2010 Peabody Award.

Gandbhir was a part of the filmmaking team of the PBS film series Asian Americans which won a 2020 Peabody Award. She was a field director for And She Could Be Next, directed by Grace Lee and Marjan Safinia.

Her short film from the HBO series Through Our Eyes: Apart won a 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Documentary.

In 2023, Gandbhir directed and executive produced Born in Synanon, a documentary series for Paramount+ revolving around Synanon.

In 2025, Gandbhir directed and produced The Perfect Neighbor focusing on the Killing of Ajike Owens. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2025, winning the Directing Award. That same year, she directed and executive produced Katrina: Come Hell and High Water alongside Spike Lee and Samantha Knowles for Netflix.

Filmography Documentary

Television

Awards and nominations

Major associations Academy Awards Year Work Category Result Ref. 2026 The Perfect Neighbor Best Documentary Feature Film The Devil Is Busy Best Documentary Short

British Academy Film Awards Year Work Category Result Ref. 2026 The Perfect Neighbor Best Documentary

Emmy Awards

Other awards and honors