Oscar nominated documentary Minding the Gap tells the coming-of-age story of three young men, bonded by their love of skateboarding and desire to escape volatile family life. Created from over 12 years of footage intimately recorded with his tight-knit group of friends, filmmaker Bing Liu beautifully captures their shared wild energy and freedom, while simultaneously documenting the unique and lasting effects of turbulent childhoods, poverty and the complexities of modern-day masculinity. Set in a town with some of the highest rates of domestic abuse in the US, Minding the Gap grapples with questions around the impact on subsequent generations and the cycles of abuse. While navigating a relationship between his camera, his friends, and his own past, Liu weaves a story that is both rich and epic while remaining intimate and immersive.

After the screening we will be joined by Chris Lawton from Skate Nottingham.
Skate Nottingham is a non-profit place-making, sports development and alternative education organisation rooted in Nottingham’s globally significant skateboarding community. They regularly engage young people in free events, skate sessions, creative and trade skills workshops, and skatepark consultation projects, with a mission to transform people & places through skateboarding. With many years delivering events around Nottinghamshire in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the UK, co-founder Chris Lawton will reflect on some of the themes of the film such as mental health, poverty, and how skateboarding can be a driver of change.