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Minding the Gap

Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.

Welcome to Rockford, Illinois, in the heart of Rust-Belt America, home to debut filmmaker Bing Liu. With over 12 years of footage, Bing discovers connections between two of his skateboarder friends’ volatile upbringings and the complexities of modern-day masculinity. As the film unfolds, Bing captures 23-year-old Zack’s tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend deteriorate after the birth of their son and 17-year-old Keire struggling with his racial identity as he faces new responsibilities following the death of his father. While navigating a difficult relationship between his camera and his friends, Bing weaves a story of generational forgiveness while exploring the precarious gap between childhood and adulthood. Minding The Gap won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and is executive produced by Oscar-nominated documentarian Steve James (The Interrupters, Hoop Dreams). Bing Liu, who developed the film through Chicago’s Kartemquin Films, also serves as producer alongside Diane Quon, and as editor alongside Joshua Altman.

Filmmakers

Original Music

Nathan Halpern
Chris Ruggiero

Motion Graphics

Jesse Kerman

Sound Mix

Jim LeBrecht (Berkeley Sound Artists)

Colorist

Tyler Roth (Company 3 Chicago)

Cinematography

Bing Liu

Featured

Zack Mulligan
Kiere Johnson
Kent Abernathy
Mengyue Bolen
Nina Bowgren
Bing Liu

Supervising Producer for ITVS

Michael Kinomoto

Post-Production Supervisor

Ryan Gleeson

Assistant Editors

Carlos Cova
Sebastian Pinzon Silva

Additional Camera Operator

Philipp Batta

Additional Sound

Hayden Jackson

Additional Production Support

Kent Abernathy
Amanda Brinton

Additional Colorist

Parker Jarvie

Re-Recording Mixers

James Lebrecht
Erik Reimers

Sound Design

Bijan Sharifi

Graphic Design

Nicole Vettriano

Communications and Distribution

Tim Horsburgh

Director of Production

Risé Sander-Weir

Consulting Producer

Maggie Bowman

Finance and Operations

Andrea de Fraga

Director of Editing

Leslie Simmer

Technical Director

Jim Morrissette

Director of Development

Joanna Lakatos

Engagement Manager

Emily Strong

Documentary Coordinator

Anu Rana

Media

Awards and Distinctions

Academy Awards

Nominee

Best Feature Documentary

2019

Emmy Awards

Nominee

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

2019

Grierson Awards

Winner

Best Cinema Documentary

2019

Independent Spirit Awards

Winner

Truer Than Fiction Prize; Best Documentary Nominee

2019

Peabody Awards

Winner

2019

ACT Human Rights Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

Ashland Independent Film Festival

Winner

Documentary Feature Editing

2018

Asian American International Film Festival

Winner

Emerging Director Award

2018

BAM Cinemafest

Official Selection

2018

Bergen International Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

Biografilm Festival

Winner

Best Film Unipol Award

2018

CAAM Fest

Winner

Documentary Competition

2018

Chicago Asian American Showcase

Official Selection

2018

Chicago Film Critics Association

Winner

Best Documentary

2018

Cinema Eye Honors

Winner

Outstanding Direction; Outstanding Editing; Outstanding Debut; Unforgettable Subjects

2018

CineYouth Festival - Cinema/Chicago

Official Selection

2018

Cleveland International Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

CPH:DOX

Official Selection

International Premiere; Next:Wave Competition

2018

Critics Choice Documentary Awards

Winner

Best First Time Director

2018

DOC 10

Official Selection

2018

Doclands Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

Docs Against Gravity Film Festival

Winner

Wroclaw Grand Jury Award; Bydgoszcz ART.DOC Award; Audience Award

2018

DocUtah

Winner

Emerging Filmmaker Award

2018

DOXA Documentary Film Festival

Winner

Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming

2018

Freep Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Winner

Audience Award - Best Documentary Feature; Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award - Honorable Mention

2018

Gimli Film Festival

Winner

Best of Fest

2018

Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival

Winner

Best Debut Documentary

2018

Hot Docs

Winner

Top Audience Pick: World Showcase Program

2018

Indiewire Critics Poll 2018

Winner

Best Documentary

2018

International Documentary Association (IDA) Documentary Awards

Winner

Best Feature; Emerging Filmmaker Awardl Best Editing

2018

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Winner

Audience Award; Best Director: Non-Fiction Feature

2018

Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Winner

Best Editing

2018

Mammoth Lakes Film Festival

Winner

Special Jury Award for Bravery

2018

Martha's Vineyard Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

Milwaukee Film Festival

Winner

Best Documentary

2018

Minneapolist/St.Paul International Film Festival

Winner

Best Documentary Feature

2018

Mosaic World Film Festival

Winner

Spotlight Film Award

2018

Mountainfilm Festival

Winner

Best Documentary Feature; Audience Choice Award

2018

Nantucket Film Festival

Official Selection

2018

Nashville Film Festival

Winner

Best Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize

2018

National Board of Review

Distinction

Top 5 Documentary

2018

New York Film Critics Association

Winner

Best Documentary

2018

Newport Beach Film Festival

Official Selection

Honorable Mention: Best Documentary

2018

One Take FIlm Fest

Official Selection

2018

Riverrun Film Festival

Winner

Best Documentary Feature

2018

Salem Film Fest

Official Selection

2018

San Diego Asian Film Festival

Winner

Spring Showcase Audience Award

2018

Sarasota Film Festival

Winner

Best Documentary Feature

2018

SFFilm Festival

Official Selection

2018

Sheffield Doc/Fest

Winner

New Talent Award; Doc Audience Award

2018

Sun Valley Film Festival

Winner

One in a Million Award

2018

Sundance Film Festival

Winner

U.S. Documentary Competition; Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking; World Premiere

2018

Vancouver Film Critics

Winner

Best Documentary

2018

Vineo Véritié

Official Selection

2018

Wisconsin Film Festival

Official Selection

2018