Academy Award-Nominated Filmmaker Visits RVC.php

Academy Award-Nominated Filmmaker Visits RVC

• Staff
• 09/10/2025

Rock Valley College alumnus and Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Bing Liu returned to campus on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, as the keynote speaker for RVC’s Professional Development Day.

His presentation, The Role of Educators, blended his personal journey with his reflections on the life-changing influence of teachers and mentors.

Liu spoke candidly about his early years growing up in Rockford, recalling the challenges of family instability, racial discrimination, and frequent moves—eight homes in all before adulthood. He described moments that left lasting impressions, from being bullied by older boys to navigating the tension of living with an abusive stepfather. Yet, amid those difficulties, Liu said it was teachers, mentors, and other adults who made a difference, providing grounding during uncertain times.

Despite these hardships, Liu found stability in classrooms, mentors, and skateboarding parks. He recounted how certain teachers and mentors like Thomas Ciciura and Eric Neubauer offered him safe spaces when he was young and encouragement during turbulent times. “When life at home felt chaotic, my teachers gave me consistency,” he told the audience. “That support was a lifeline.”

At Rock Valley College, Liu took an interest in humanities courses like sociology, philosophy, and world religions while studying in the mass communications department. Mentors like RVC Faculty member Jerry LaBuy, he said, encouraged him to take creative risks and embrace his storytelling voice. Those experiences culminated in his breakthrough documentary Minding the Gap.

“People who have seen Bing’s film Minding the Gap know something about his life and struggles,” said Dr. Terry Wandtke, Professional Development Specialist. “But many people including many at RVC don’t know how much RVC helped him cope and find his way as a filmmaker.  I hope one of the big takeaways from Bing’s speech is an awareness of the power of RVC to fundamentally changes lives.”

After his time at RVC, Liu’s journey took him to UIC in Chicago where he explored teaching for a short time. There he encountered more mentors like Steve James at Kartemquin Films. Steve directed the acclaimed documentary Hoop Dreams and hired Bing to help direct the TV series America to Me. This experience helped Bing as he began to make Minding the Gap, which won a Peabody Award, a Sundance Film Fest award, and was nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy.

Since then, Liu has continued to expand his career, most recently with his narrative feature debut Preparation for the Next Life, adapted from Atticus Lish’s novel. He told the audience that while professional milestones matter, the relationships and values one carries are far more important.

“The role of educators isn’t just about teaching facts or grading papers,” Liu shared. “It’s about creating safe spaces, inspiring students to see possibilities, and reminding them that they matter.”

 

“I didn’t always have consistency at home, but I found it in the classrooms and in the people who believed in me.”

Bing Liu