In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins and guests, director Geeta Gandbhir and editor Viridiana Lieberman, dive into the making of the breakout documentary The Perfect Neighbor, which uses police body‑cam, Ring‑cam, and dash‑cam footage to tell a harrowing story of a neighborhood dispute and a fatal shooting in Florida under the “stand your ground” law.

The conversation focuses on how Lieberman navigated massive technical and emotional challenges, how Gandbhir shaped the vision and collaboration, and what it takes to make nonfiction storytelling that feels fresh, urgent, and cinematic.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • How Viridiana  Lieberman approached editing The Perfect Neighbor, choosing what to show when and from which vantage to preserve both clarity and emotional resonance.
  • The origin of the project: how Geeta Gandbhir came to this story, the community she wanted to honor, and why she opted to build the film almost entirely out of institutional footage rather than recourse to expert interviews or narration.
  • The technical and ethical challenges of juggling footage from very different sources (body cam, dash cam, Ring camera, 911 calls) in the edit room — and how Viridiana organised the workflow.
  • The importance of tone, pacing, and audience trust in documentary editing: trusting the audience, staying rooted with community, giving them room to observe rather than prescribing meaning.
  • Collaboration between director and editor: the shorthand Lieberman and Gandbhir had built, the trust that was required, and how they shaped the structure together.
  • Self‑care and emotional resilience when working on stories that deal with trauma, racial violence, and community grief — how Viridiana and the team held space for the neighborhood and for themselves.
  • Advice for aspiring editors and filmmakers: start making stuff, vocalise what you want, collaborate with people you trust, don’t wait for permission.

Guests

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This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by Ryan Koo.

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