A still image from “612: Darkness in the Land of Nice” depicting protesters in the streets of Minneapolis in May 2025. Image courtesy of 612 official site.

A recently Oscar-Qualified documentary short film called “612: Darkness in the Land of Nice” depicts the racial injustices in the state of Minnesota alongside the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

Minnesota-raised director, writer and producer Diem Van Groth has spent the last five years of his life examining the paradox of “Minnesota Nice” and the constant racial injustices in his home state, searching for an explanation. During these years, Groth “accidentally” made a documentary about what he learned with the goal of sharing his knowledge with the people of America.

The nation was watching on May 25, 2020 while former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 26 seconds, leading to his death while knowingly being filmed. Groth was among the thousands of citizens who fled to the streets to protest this injustice.

“I got in my car and just hit record on my cell phone, and I wandered to the third precinct, where all of a sudden, the hundreds of people became thousands of people,” Groth said. “What we were witnessing was literally the moment that the protests really started.”

The incident quickly began to receive national attention, becoming the largest single-issue protest in modern history and it all began in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. Groth explains that the phrase “Minnesota Nice” sounds great in theory but, when this kindness only extends to those with white skin, it is time to look deeper and ask why this is happening. In the last 10 years, 30 Black people have been killed by police in Minnesota alone, according to mappingpoliceviolence.org. Groth set out to explore why a place renowned for its politeness experiences some of the largest racial disparities in the country.

Meet the Director

Groth is a Vietnamese immigrant who was adopted by American parents when he was three years old. Raised in a mixed family in North Minneapolis, he is no stranger to inequities. Groth had lived in Los Angeles for the majority of his adult life and had come back to Minnesota right before Floyd’s murder. It got him thinking about the ways in which the Minnesota experience differs based on skin color.

“As a kid, I thought it was the best place, and it is absolutely the best place. But because I left and then came back, I was like, whoa, how can you call yourself progressive?” Groth said. “If the people that are not white are not progressing, there's not progress. And so all through this five year journey, I realized that these inequities are so severe, they’re the most severe in the nation.”

“To me, it was jarring that you could literally see the difference between black and indigenous populations and the white population. And it was so subtle,” Groth continued. “I wanted to know how a place like Minnesota, that is seemingly all very progressive and nice, is the best place to live if you're white and the worst place to live if you're Black or Indigenous.”

Darkness in the Land of Nice

The film showcases the thread of structural racism that runs through the nation from startling statistics on income inequality all the way to a lack of representation in the elementary education system.

“It's not about one man, one black man being killed, because you already had people like Philando Castile, Jamar Clark, these guys, you know, you had hundreds of black men being killed by police. So what was so jarring about this? Yeah, it was the video, for sure. But I wanted to find out what was really going on underneath,” Groth said.

“612: Darkness in the Land of Nice” movie poster.

The injustice of minorities is so ingrained in the culture that it often goes unnoticed. What was so different about the murder of George Floyd? Why was this the incident that ignited millions of people worldwide to stand up for injustice to be corrected? Ever since it happened, Groth has been interviewing hundreds of people in an attempt to find the answers.

One common thread was that it happened during COVID. People had been locked up and didn’t have much to do. They were so focused on what was going on in their devices because they couldn't get stimulation from the outside world. All of a sudden, there was this clear footage of something so catastrophic. It was the perfect recipe to ignite the world on fire, according to Groth.

The documentary features multiple influential voices including former Minnesota Supreme Court Judge, Alan Page, who spoke of privilege in terms of both race and class, urging viewers to use their privileged positions to lift others up.

“If you’re not here trying to make the world a better place, what's the point?” Page said.

A central theme of Groth’s message features silence as a chief issue. He argues that the country can do all the protesting it wants but if the issues aren’t talked about — especially with those who hold differing opinions — change will not happen.

“There are inequities in every part of the country. It is just so extreme here and so whitewashed and not talked about,” Groth said while addressing an audience in Weber Music Hall on Saturday, Oct 18.

The Power of Youth

In an effort to get the young people of Minnesota talking about this issue, Groth is in the process of showing his Oscar-Qualified documentary in schools across the state. This past Saturday, Duluth community members and UMD students were in attendance to view the film in a music hall, making the experience that much more impactful.

Groth was inspired by the youth on the streets of Minneapolis five years ago and he believes in their power today.

“The leadership that you're looking for is not there. You have to be the leader. And in the summer of 2020, the young people of Minnesota absolutely led the world and changed the world,” Groth said.

Groth sees this documentary as a guidebook, aiding young people in navigating the current political climate and providing insight to what they are capable of.

“You guys shut down the planet and you changed the planet. You can do the same thing today,” Groth said. “There's a lot of darkness out there, but there is also a lot of light. And it starts with the young people.”

Hear From the Director of Oscar-Qualified Minnesota Documentary ‘612: Darkness in the Land of Nice’