Bing Liu (born 1989)[1] is a Chinese American director and cinematographer. He is best known for directing the documentary Minding the Gap, which was nominated for Best Documentary at the 91st Academy Awards.[2]
Bing Liu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989 (age 34–35) China |
| Nationality | Chinese-American |
| Occupation(s) | Cinematographer, director |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Notable credit | Minding the Gap |
Early life and education
Liu was born in China.[2] His family moved to the United States when he was five and soon after his parents got divorced.[3] Liu obtained American citizenship when he was 14 years old after his mother moved him to Rockford, IL and remarried. She had one son with his stepfather, a white American man. His stepfather was physically and mentally abusive, once shooting a gun at his mother.[2] He referred to Liu and his brother and mother using racial slurs and subjected them to various types of abuse.[2] Liu stated that he is no longer fluent in Mandarin as he once was because his stepfather did not let him and his mother communicate with each other using the language.[2]
He was first inspired by film-making after seeing First Love when he was 15, a video produced by Transworld Skateboarding Magazine that was mostly shot on 16 mm film. From then, he began interviewing skateboarders and learning about photography.[4]
He attended community college at Rock Valley College.[5] Liu left Rockford when he was 19[1] and then attended University of Illinois at Chicago where he majored in literature.[6]
Career
From 2012, he worked on various film sets, typically doing camera work.[6] Liu's first job on a major film was as a crew member for At Any Price in 2013.
His 2018 documentary film Minding the Gap centered himself and two other young men who were skateboarders in their hometown of Rockford, IL. The footage was shot over 12 years, beginning when Liu was 14, though it was only in his early 20s that he decided to make the documentary.[7][8] Liu is both a director and the subject of the film as he often speaks to his subjects from off camera.[4] The film deals heavily with domestic violence and toxic masculinity. It is the first feature film that he directed.[4]
He has two forthcoming documentary projects; the first will focus on two gun violence intervention programs in Chicago, and the second, which he has not yet started filming, will focus on millennial relationships.[7][6]
Liu also worked as a segment director for America to Me, a documentary series released by Starz.[6]
References
- ^ a b Sachs, Ben. "An interview with Bing Liu about his powerful documentary Minding the Gap". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ a b c d e Jung, E. Alex. "Oscar-Nominated Minding the Gap Director Bing Liu on America's Masculinity Crisi". Vulture. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ Metz, Nina. "A conversation with Bing Liu about his documentary 'Minding the Gap'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ a b c Wilkinson, Alissa (2018-08-17). "How Minding the Gap went from skateboard documentary to a raw look at domestic abuse". Vox. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ Newsroom, WIFR. "Rock Valley professor on Bing Liu: 'He was always working'". www.wifr.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b c d Phillips, Michael. "Chicagoan of the Year: Bing Liu, Rockford filmmaker could make a splash at the Oscars". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ a b "'Minding the Gap' Director Looks to Chicago Prison and Millennial Relationships for Next Projects". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ "Minding the Gap Director Discusses His Buzzy Hulu Documentary". Time. Retrieved 2019-02-20.