The Gist Geeta Gandbhir: "She Weaponized Her Privilege"
Mar 13, 2026
Geeta Gandbhir, double Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker and founder of Message Pictures. She unpacks The Perfect Neighbor using police and doorbell footage to trace how bias, privilege, Stand Your Ground laws, and easy gun access led to a deadly escalation. She also discusses ethical choices around showing raw footage and how community and policing shaped the story.
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Family Liaison Turned Filmmaker Discovery
- Geeta Gandbhir's team became media liaisons after Ajaka Owens' murder and gathered footage to support the family.
- They received 30 hours of police files via Benjamin Crump and Anthony Thomas and realized the bodycam material could form a documentary.
Minimize Harm When Documenting Trauma
- Avoid retraumatizing victims' families by minimizing intrusive interviews; use existing audio-visual evidence instead.
- Geeta chose detective interviews and bodycam footage so she didn't have to put cameras on the grieving family.
Bodycam Shows Community Before Violence
- The bodycam footage captured a multiracial, intergenerational community living together before the shooting, revealing the human stakes.
- Susan Lorincz stood out as an outlier who weaponized racism, privilege, and easy gun access to escalate conflict.