by FilmInk Staff
The Sundance Institute Vanguard Award for Nonfiction presented by Acura was awarded to Geeta Gandbhir just one day after receiving the Oscar nomination in Best Documentary Feature for The Perfect Neighbor
In accepting her honour, director of Oscar-nominated The Perfect Neighbor Geeta Gandbhir remembered coming to Sundance “as a hopeful filmmaker, as an audience member, as someone looking for proof that deeply personal, politically urgent, and formally adventurous work could exist—and could matter.” She praised the organisation for not just just by showcasing films, but by building community. By uplifting documentaries and standing behind beyond a premiere.”
Gandbhir went on to express how much this award means “because it reflects that belief—that pushing boundaries is not a liability, but a responsibility. That film can be both art and intervention. That storytelling, at its best, can expand how we see one another.”
The annual Sundance Institute Vanguard Awards presented by Acura honour emerging artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in both fiction and nonfiction. Previous honorees include Celine Song, Ryan Coogler, W. Kamau Bell, Siân Heder, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Lulu Wang, Boots Riley, Marielle Heller, Damien Chazelle, and many more.
Award-winning filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir’s new documentary film reveals the fatal consequences that can occur when individuals feel emboldened by the law to act on their fear and prejudice. For years, disgruntled neighbor Susan Lorincz calls the police on the children who play in the vacant land next to her Florida home. Initially, the kids and parents commiserate with local law enforcement about her antics. But her increasing hostility takes a sinister turn, culminating in a devastating crime. With striking humanity and unflinching clarity, The Perfect Neighbor is told almost entirely through police bodycam footage, bearing witness to an intimate community contending with their ongoing nightmare. The chilling escalation of events leads to Lorincz shooting Ajike “AJ” Owens, a beloved and vibrant mother of four. Owens’ killing sparked a reckoning throughout the United States about controversial state laws like “Stand Your Ground,” which can allow individuals to use deadly force if they feel their life is in danger.
— The Perfect Neighbor is on Netflix now! —
DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY
Geeta Gandbhir
PRODUCED BY
