-Welcome to the show. -Thanks.
And congratulations on an Oscar nomination.
-Thank you so much. It's unreal. -That is... Yeah.
-(cheering and applause) -I can only imagine.
It's crazy.
I think what-what connects with so many people
when watching this film
is that it really is a journey through life, right?
You started filming this when you were a kid.
What was it, like, 12 years ago maybe?
Well, I have 12 years of footage,
but I started the project five years ago.
-Right. -It wasn't until the last few months of editing
that went into archival and was able to expand
-the sense of time in the film that you feel. -Right.
-Yeah. -But you... When you started filming this,
did you know that this was going to be a long project,
or were you just filming your friends skateboarding?
'Cause that's... that's what the film
seems like it's about on the surface.
It's, like, minding the gap.
It's about skateboarding culture
in this neighborhood that you grew up in.
And it seems like when you were filming it initially,
you had greater aspirations, but I don't know if you did.
Well, I did. I think, you know,
so much of documentary storytelling is in the edit,
so a lot of it was just reverse engineered.
So, skateboarding and that love of skateboarding
just becomes the Trojan horse
for, you know, all these other issues
-to emanate out of, so... -Right.
And the issues in this documentary are really gripping.
I mean, at one point,
you're just watching a bunch of kids skateboarding,
and then you're seeing them, and they've grown up.
And you... These are your friends, as well.
But these people let you into their lives.
You know, as we saw in the clip, you have a young man
talking about, you know, in his home,
how he was disciplined
and how it would be termed abuse today,
and you look at cycles of abuse and pain.
How did you let the story be told
without making it feel like
you were giving away your friends' secrets?
Well, I think it's a two-way street, right?
I mean, at that moment in the film that you just saw
was the first time he ever talked about his father
and, like, you know, what it was like growing up with him
and, you know, the pain and also the guilt that he felt
-about what happened between the two of them. -Right.
Um, I mean, you know, he wanted to talk about it.
I think most young people just aren't given the space
to be able to just process these things.
Um, I-I think people think it's actually harder
than it... than it actually is
to be able to just get this out of young people.
As long as you come from a nonjudgmental,
actually curious, authentic place,
I think young people really want to talk about these things.
Many people have said that this film
is one of the greatest, um...
I guess observations into America as a whole.
It's not just about this town. It's about almost every town.
Why do you think it connected in the way it did?
I think we live... Especially as a millennial.
You know, I'm 30 years old.
Um, you know, I think we live in a time
-that's more connected than ever. -Right.
But the same time, also,
people are feeling more isolated than ever.
I think the film really gets at that thesis.
By the end of the climactic, you know, character arcs
that we get to,
you feel a sense of just how alone everyone feels
and how, you know, misunderstood they feel.
And despite every... Despite all the friends,
despite all the, you know, the chosen family members
that they've gotten, that they've connected with,
you know, I think everyone just wants...
-They don't feel heard, so... -Right.
Have any of your friends watched the film?
Yeah, we showed... So, I told them early on
that we were gonna show them the film
even before we picture locked to give them just one chance
to see in context the story so they could tell me,
"Hey, you know, you didn't get this right"
or, you know, like, uh,
-"I don't want this represented this way." -Right, right.
So, you know, I think that's what helped me,
also, you know, in terms of just getting at these secrets
that you talked about, because I knew, like,
once we get to a certain point, they'll see it all in a story.
And that way, you know, things and these moments
and these things that they're giving away
aren't stilted in a way where, you know, they feel like,
-"Oh, my God, I'm scared of this moment exactly." -Right, right.
"But no, this is just part of my journey."
Um, so, when we show them all the film, you know,
they were all on board because I think they felt like
there was a sense of, um, being included
-in the process along the way. -Right.
It's really come through, as well,
because, I mean, the film has done well with all audiences.
It has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Um, you know, critics are loving it.
Fans are loving it. Where do you go from here?
Because, I mean, you know,
this is just the beginning for you.
Like you said, it was a welcome surprise,
but it is the beginning of your journey.
Do you see yourself making more documentaries,
or do you aspirations to make all types of film?
I think it's all downhill from here.
-I think it's all... abject failure. -(laughter)
Uh, you know, like, next year I'll be getting
-the least improved filmmaker award, you know. -Right.
Uh... No, I'm actually working on a couple more documentaries.
One I started before Minding the Gap was finished.
-Uh-huh. -And that one is about, you know, um, young men
who, uh, you know, need to confront the past
and their emotions in order to move forward
as it pertains to gun violence in Chicago
and neighborhoods that experience them.
And then another one that's starting up
is about millennial love and intimacy.
-Um, so, they're related themes. -Right.
But, you know, I think I'm excited
to keep exploring these different stories.
If it's even half as good as this film,
it's gonna be a smash hit.
Thank you so much for being on the show, man.
-Congratulations again. -Thanks for having me.
Minding the Gap is currently streaming on Hulu.
You really want to watch this film.
Bing Liu, everybody.