Two films and Academy nominations, in separate categories; same filmmaker! What’s up? I ask director Geeta Gandbhir...

A still from her Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor

I could obviously google this. But it just felt better to bring it up with the American-born, Indian-origin filmmaker, Geeta Gandbhir, in person: “Are you actually the first in the history of the Academy Awards to be nominated for two separate categories, in the same year?” And, of course, isn’t that incredible!

Geeta is simultaneously in the running for the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, for her film, The Perfect Neighbour (Netflix). And the Best Documentary Short, for The Devil is Busy (HBO/JioHotstar). 

Over a Zoom call from the US, Geeta tells me, “I am the first woman, yes. The first person, I suppose — and one has to fact-check this — was Walt Disney, who had a short, and a feature, nominated in the same year, that was back in the 1960s. Touchwood; glad to be here!”

Which also says much about how prolific Geeta, 55, is. It’s impossible to burn through her filmography, before we speak. 

Her last work, even after the year’s two Oscar noms, that I caught, is the miniseries, Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (Netflix) that she’s co-directed with her long-time collaborator, Spike Lee. 

Filmmaker producer, and editor Geeta Gandbhir

Geeta........

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