Join us on Wednesday 14 January 2026, as STASHED rolls back into FACT with its fifth edition, bringing you an Academy-Award nominated documentary about the struggles of three young skateboarders living in the Rust Belt. MINDING THE GAP (2018) is director Bing Liu’s quest to understand why so many of his peers in the skateboarding community ran away from home when they were younger.
The film collects twelve years worth of footage from the lives of friends Kiere, Zack and Bing, and presents an intimate coming-of-age story that is as beautiful and hopeful as it is heartbreaking. The three young men bond together over a shared love of skateboarding, which helps them escape from volatile family dynamics and economic hardship in their hometown of Rockford, Illinois. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
Despite skateboarding being a central motif of the film, the narrative isn’t focused on flashy tricks and flips;, instead it offers a raw, real perspective on the constraints of modern masculinity and how uncomfortable and tumultuous the ‘gap’ between childhood and adulthood can be.
This screening takes place in The Box on the Ground Floor. After the screening, there will be a post-film discussion where everyone is welcome to share their thoughts about Minding The Gap.
This film is rated 15 and contains strong language, drug misuse, domestic violence references and themes of intergenerational trauma and systemic racism.
If you have any accessibility requirements, please inform us by emailing events@fact.co.uk.
You can also find information about FACT’s accessibility on our website here: fact.co.uk/visit/accessibility or use our Visual Story to prepare for your visit.
Free tickets for CEA Card holders are available from the FACT Welcome Desk or on the door at the time of the event.
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