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 Year Title Director Editor Producer Notes 2008 All of Us 2009 By the People: The Election of Barack Obama Also field producer Budrus 2010 Music by Prudence 2011The Carrier 2013 Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington 2014Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown Also editor supervisorWe the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss Puppies Behind Bars 2015A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers 2017I Am Evidence The Talk: Race in America Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge 2018The Sentence 2022Rise and Rebuild: A Tale of Three Cities A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power 2024New Wave The Devil Is Busy New Wave Black Table 2025The Perfect Neighbor The Gas Station Attendant Masaka Kids: A Rhythm Within
Television Year Title Director Editor Producer Notes 2001 Take it from Home Film TV 2003–2009 Ride with Funkmaster Flex TV Series 2005 Miracle's Boys Mini-series; 5 episodes 2006 African American Lives TV series; 1 episode When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts Mini-series; 4 episodes 2007Oprah's Roots: An African American Lives Special Film TV 2009Purizun doggu: Boku ni ikiru chikara o kureta inu Film TV 2010If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise Mini-series; 1 episode 2015 Op-Docs TV series; 2 episodes 2017Daughters of Destiny Mini-series 2019 Rapture Mini-series 2018 Doc World TV series 2019 Why We Hate TV series; 6 episodes 2020 Asian Americans TV series 2021 Black and Missing Mini-series; 4 episodes 2023 Born in Synanon Mini-series; 4 episodes 2025 Eyes on the Prize TV series; 1 episode Katrina: Come Hell and High Water Mini-series; 3 episodes Harlem Ice TV series; 5 episodes
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 Year Work Category Result Ref. Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards2007When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four ActsOutstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming2010By the People: The Election of Barack Obama2011If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise News and Documentary Emmy Awards 2015P.O.V. Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Editing - Documentary and Long Form2019HBO Documentary Films Outstanding DocumentaryOutstanding Investigative DocumentaryDoc World: Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary2022Through Our Eyes Outstanding Short Documentary
Other awards and honors Award Year Work Category Result African-American Film Critics Association2022Black and MissingBest DocumentaryAmerican Cinema Editors Awards2018Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge: "01"Best Edited Documentary for TelevisionAtlanta Film Festival2016A Journey of a Thousand Miles: PeacekeepersBest Documentary Feature Astra Awards 2026 The Perfect NeighborBest Documentary Feature Black Reel Awards 2022 Black and Missing Outstanding Television Documentary or Special2026The Devil is BusyOutstanding Short FilmThe Perfect NeighborOutstanding Documentary Cinema Eye Honors 2019I Am Evidence Outstanding Broadcast Nonfiction Filmmaking 2022Black and Missing Outstanding Nonfiction Series 2023Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power Outstanding Broadcast Film 2026The Perfect Neighbor Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature Outstanding Direction Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 2025 The Perfect Neighbor Best Director Cleveland International Film Festival2017Puppies Behind BarsBest Film2018I Am EvidenceExcellence in DirectingLocal Heroes CompetitionDenver Film Festival2023How We Get FreeBest Short FilmFilm Independent Spirit Awards 2022 Black and Missing Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series 2026 The Perfect Neighbor Best Documentary Feature Gotham Independent Film Awards2025The Perfect Neighbor Best DocumentaryGracie Awards2022Black and MissingBest Director Hamptons International Film Festival 2017 I Am Evidence Social Justice Award NAACP Image Awards 2022 Black and Missing Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) Producers Guild of America Award 2026 The Perfect Neighbor Best Documentary Motion Picture Sundance Film Festival 2025The Perfect Neighbor Grand Jury Prize – U.S. Documentary Competition Directing Award: U.S. Documentary
References
External links Interview with Spike Lee, Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard - Peabody Conversations, 2011