Neeraj Ghaywan and Dharma Productions’ Homebound may be out of the Oscars race, but there’s still hope for India. Indian-American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir is in the running for two of her films. Yes, she
has made history at the Academy Awards by bagging two nominations in the same year – The Devil Is Busy under Best Documentary Short and The Perfect Neighbour (now streaming on Netflix) under Best Documentary Feature.
Speaking exclusively to News18 from the US as the final round of voting at the Oscars is underway, Geeta says, “We’re thrilled to be nominated. It’s such an honour. And this final bit of time is really about talking about the film as much as possible and reaching out to people hoping that they watch it. But most importantly, we’re thrilled to have a platform to talk about the issues at hand with The Perfect Neighbour.”
“I’m nervous. But being nominated is such a huge thing that you feel that you’ve already won. You’re chosen by your peers and that’s such a big honour. These are people who inspire us. And this is a great year. All the films are so important,” she adds.
For the unversed, The Perfect Neighbour reconstructs and recounts the 2023 killing of Ajike Owens in Florida using police body-cam footage, and sheds light on ‘weaponised racism’.
Interestingly, the 98th Academy Awards is being lauded by commentators as one of the most inclusive Oscar years. Sinners became the most-nominated film in Oscar history with 16 nominations – with ten Black nominees connected to a single film. Chloé Zhao became the first woman of colour ever nominated twice for Best Director. Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman of colour nominated for Best Cinematography.
Talking about it, Geeta says, “That’s always good. A number of us have been fighting for it in the US. And this isn’t something I take for granted. Particularly at this time in this country, it’s so important as inclusivity is being dismissed and seen as unnecessary. It’s incredibly important.” Speaking of her own nominatation as an Indian-American maker, she remarks, “It’s always a step. It’s always wonderful when someone from a minority community is nominated. But I’m not the first, as we know.”
“A lot of us have been nominated, particularly in the documentary section. The Elephant Whisperers even won. I feel there’s a wonderful precedent now. It shows that the Oscars has an international bent and it shows that our stories resonate. That’s really, really meaningful. It opens the door for more people from our community and helps other minority communities get a foot in the door,” Geeta continues.
Along with Guneet Monga Kapoor, Geeta also lauds Priyanka Chopra Jonas for using her ‘celebrity position’ to ‘lend support to documentary films’ like Anuja. “You see this with celebrities. They come abroad a film and that lends it some visibility and some seem to believe that also lends it credibility. It doesn’t mean that the voting branch always responds. But if you’re someone who has a track record and you lend your support to a film, that will help it stand out for sure,” she points out.
