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Filmmaker achieves rare double Oscar nomination
American director Geeta Gandbhir has become the first woman in Academy Awards history to receive nominations in both the best documentary feature and best documentary short categories in the same year.
A historic milestone
Gandbhir joins an exclusive group of only six filmmakers-including Walt Disney-to achieve this rare double nomination. The Oscars, now in their 98th year, have seen just five others accomplish this feat before her.
"It's a thrill and an honour," Gandbhir told the BBC. "Our minds are kind of blown."
The nominated works
Her feature-length documentary, The Perfect Neighbor, available on Netflix, examines the killing of a young mother through police body camera footage. The film highlights the tragic consequences of repeated police calls over children playing near a neighbor's home.
The short documentary, The Devil is Busy, streaming on HBO Max, offers a day-in-the-life perspective inside an Atlanta abortion clinic, focusing on the risks faced by staff and patients amid evolving U.S. political tensions.
A strategic approach to nominations
Gandbhir revealed she intentionally avoided watching the live nominations announcement to manage anxiety. Despite being shortlisted, she stayed awake until 3 a.m. before finally going to sleep.
She woke to her husband's celebratory shouts-he produced The Perfect Neighbor-and a call from her best friend, who co-directed The Devil is Busy.
"It's anxiety-inducing to watch the actual announcements. I've done it before."
Geeta Gandbhir, filmmaker
Preparing for the big night
When asked if she had prepared two acceptance speeches, Gandbhir laughed. "Touch wood," she said, adding that if she wins for The Devil is Busy, she will share the stage with co-director Christalyn Hampton.
The 96th Academy Awards ceremony takes place Sunday evening in Los Angeles.
Past double nominees in documentary categories
Here are the six filmmakers who have earned nominations in both documentary feature and short categories in the same year:
- Geeta Gandbhir (2025) - The Perfect Neighbor (feature) and The Devil Is Busy (short)
- Eric Nyari (2024) - Black Box Diaries (feature) and Instruments of a Beating Heart (short)
- Charles Guggenheim (1994) - D-Day Remembered (feature) and A Time for Justice (short)
- Ben Sharpsteen (1958) - White Wilderness (feature, won) and Ama Girls (short, won)
- Louis Clyde Stoumen (1956) - The Naked Eye (feature) and The True Story of the Civil War (short, won)
- Walt Disney (1953) - The Living Desert (feature, won) and The Alaskan Eskimo (short, won)
