On the eve of the Academy Awards, Asian A.V. Club got to HANG with documentary director Geeta Gandbhir as she not only celebrates her two Oscar nominations for her short The Devil Is Busy (which she is co-director with Christalyn Hampton), but also the feature The Perfect Neighbor.

With a background in narrative filmmaking, Geeta’s documentaries are at once compelling, immediate and filled with humanity that people can relate to instantly!

In The Devil Is Busy, we follow a day in the life of an abortion clinic in Atlanta, seen through the eyes of Tracii, their head of security. Across a single day, the short observes the routines of the staff as they try to provide the best safest healthcare, inside an environment where they operate under the daily threat of danger.

Meanwhile, The Perfect Neighbor unfolds in a completely different way. Constructed largely from body-cam footage, the film pieces together a year-long neighborhood dispute that escalates into the fatal shooting of a young Black mother. As the footage accumulates, the film reveals how race and systemic bias are weaponized by the white shooter in an attempt to justify her actions, leading to a conclusion that is both shocking and heartbreaking.

As the first female director to get nominations in both the short and feature Documentary categories, we were really honored to get the chance to HANG with the filmmaker so press play!

If you enjoyed our chat, remember to press SUBSCRIBE and please check out our SUBSTACK where we have online exclusives that you can also get right in your inbox by joining there too! See you soon!