© 2025 Blue Ridge Public Radio
Blue Ridge Mountains banner background
Your source for information and inspiration in Western North Carolina.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

In 'Minding The Gap' Skaters Explore Modern Masculinity

Bing Liu documented skaters in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois for more than a decade. Through the years, that footage became a complex documentation of youth culture featuring two young men who open up about the pressures of adulthood, abusive families, and modern masculinity. 

Host Frank Stasio speaks with cinematographer Bing Liu about the documentary, 'Minding the Gap.'

Liu added his own story to the mix and spoke with his mother and half brother about his own stepfather’s violence. The film that emerged has stunned audiences around the world with its intimate portrait of the lives of young men. “Minding The Gap” won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the 2018 Full Frame Audience Award, and is nominated for best documentary feature at the 2019 Oscars.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with cinematographer Bing Liu about the documentary ahead of a free screening at The Carolina Theatre in Durham on Thursday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. The film is also streaming on Hulu and premieres on PBS on Feb. 18. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Vm_Awe3bw

Screenshot from the award-winning film, 'Minding The Gap.'
Courtesy of Kartemquin Films /
Screenshot from the award-winning film, 'Minding The Gap.'
Screenshot from the award-winning film, 'Minding The Gap.'
Courtesy of Kartemquin Films /
Screenshot from the award-winning film, 'Minding The Gap.'

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.