Two new projects by Chicago documentary powerhouse Kartemquin will premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in January.
Minding the Gap
Minding the Gap is the story of a revelation that occurs when director Bing Liu reconnects with two childhood friends in his hometown of Rockford, IL.
Recounting their less than ideal upbringings in a medium-sized city that is often described with “Rust Belt” connotations, Liu and his former skateboarding pals deal with revelations that complicate their bond.
Minding the Gap will screen in Sundance’s US Documentary Competition. It is the first feature by director Bing Liu, who not only immigrated to the US from China, but also lived in Alabama, California, and Rockford by the time he turned eight years old.
The film’s concept was developed with the assistance of Kartemquin’s Diverse Voices in Docs program in 2014. Liu produced, directed, and edited. Diane Quon produced, and Joshua Altman edited.
America to Me
America to Me, is a ten-part series covering director Steve James’ year-long immersion in a progressive, suburban Chicago high school.
Regarded as one of the most progressive public schools in the United States, Oak Park & River Forest High School offers a rich environment for exploring America’s current “charged state of race, culture and education with unprecedented depth and scope.”
America to Me is the latest in a string of award-winning documentaries by Steve James. Other recent projects include 2016’s Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, which boasts a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; and 2014’s Life Itself, a biography of film critic Roger Ebert. His 1994 documentary, Hoop Dreams, won Audience Award for Best Documentary at Sundance.
