Barack Obama has shared a list of his favorite books, movies, and music from 2018. The curated list includes several Asian American makers, including CAAMFest 2018 film Minding the Gap, directed by Bing Liu. The documentary, which focuses on three childhood friends who bond over skateboarding in Rockford, Illinois, has recently been shortlisted for an Academy Award.
Barack Obama notes in his Instagram post:
“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists, and storytellers – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Swipe through to see my best of 2018 list – I hope you enjoy reading, watching, and listening.”
Producer Diane Quon attended CAAMFest earlier this year, where the film received the Best Documentary award at CAAMFest.
Read our in-depth Q&A with Bing Liu here about the making of his documentary.
CAAM will co-present the film on PBS’ POV program on February 18, 2019.
Minding the Gap is among a list of great, groundbreaking films including Chloe Zhao’s The Rider, Kore-Eda Hirokazu’s Shoplifters, Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, and Carlos López Estrada’s Blindspotting.
