Centered on a Rowan County family, the film explores what happens when a household earns too much to qualify for some forms of assistance but still struggles to meet basic needs. The family’s experience is presented alongside perspectives on the economic and policy conditions that leave many working households in that gap.
Aaron Daniel Annas, associate professor and chair of communication arts and media, produced and directed the documentary. Catawba students held substantial production roles. Rachel Carlson and Paul Esnault, both exercise science majors, served as student producers, and Zach Brown, a digital media production major, worked as first assistant camera.
Faculty co-producers were Dr. Scott Morton and Dr. Sarah Jackson. Dr. Suzanne Bowser served as a producer during the film’s development. The documentary also features perspectives from Dr. Eric Hake, professor of economics, and Dr. Mercedes Quesada-Embid, professor of environmental policy and advocacy. Main Street Marketplace and Meeting Place in China Grove is featured in the film.
Life in the Gap first screened at Catawba in September 2025 before an audience of more than 200 people. A discussion afterward brought together faculty, student filmmakers, and community partners, including Main Street Marketplace Executive Director Hope Oliphant. The film later screened at the Carrboro Film Festival in March 2026 as part of its Keep Holding short-film program. Its broadcast will bring the Rowan County story to viewers across North Carolina.
The film is also scheduled to air on the North Carolina Channel on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 2 a.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 12:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.
About Catawba College
Founded in 1851, Catawba College is a four-year, private liberal arts college located on a 276-acre campus, including a 189-acre ecological preserve, in Salisbury, N.C. Ranked as one of the best colleges in the South, Catawba is a learning community of nearly 1,400 students from 35 states and 45 nations, providing students with opportunities shaped by the Catawba Ideal: Scholarship with Character and Culture for Service. Additional information is available at catawba.edu.
