KQED's Forum Documentary Filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir on Seeking Justice Through ‘The Perfect Neighbor’
Feb 19, 2026
Geeta Gandbhir, an Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker known for immersive social-justice work. She discusses using bodycam and doorbell footage to reconstruct a neighborhood tragedy. Conversations cover surveillance’s double edge, editing evidence into an immersive narrative, and alternatives to policing in community conflicts.
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Personal Connection Sparked The Film
- Geeta Gandbhir's team got involved because Ajaka Owens was a family friend and lived in a house linked to the director's extended family.
- They received 30 hours of police footage from lawyers that revealed the neighborhood's life before the tragedy.
Surveillance Footage Reconstructs Life
- The filmmakers synchronized dash, body, 911 and Ring footage to reconstruct chronology and experience the neighborhood as insiders.
- That raw documentation humanized residents in ways traditional posthumous storytelling cannot.
Bodycams Are A Double-Edged Sword
- Body camera footage is double-edged: it can criminalize communities yet also provide critical documentation against abuses.
- Geeta argues more mandates and transparency for footage are necessary to protect truth.