Her passport said she was Cha Jung Hee. She knew she was not. So began a 40-year deception for a Korean adoptee who came to the U.S. in 1966. Told to keep her true identity secret from her new American family, this 8-year-old quickly forgot she was ever anyone else. But why had her identity been switched? And who was the real Cha Jung Hee? IN THE MATTER OF CHA JUNG HEE is the search to find the answers, as acclaimed filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem (FIRST PERSON PLURAL, POV 2000) returns to her native Korea to find her “double,” the mysterious girl whose place she took in America.
GEOGRAPHIES OF KINSHIP-THE KOREAN ADOPTION STORY (working title) is a feature-length documentary that follows 5-6 Korean adoptees on their journeys to re-connect with their birth country and culture and mend the fractured pieces of their past. Through their riveting stories the film explores the history of transnational adoptions of Korean children from the 1950s to the present.
The Korean War (1950-1953) was devastating. It pitted the United States, South Korea, and 16 other countries in what the United Nations called a "police action" against North Korea and China. A mere three years of fighting resulted in 3 million civilian deaths, nearly 2 million combat deaths and casualties, the decimation of Korea's natural and social infrastructure, and national division separating 10 million Koreans from family members for over a half century. At the conclusion of the fighting, Korea lay in ruins. But the war never ended.
In 1966, Deann Borshay Liem was adopted by an American family and was sent from Korea to her new home. Growing up in California, the memory of her birth family was nearly obliterated until recurring dreams lead Deann to discover the truth: her Korean mother was very much alive. Bravely uniting her biological and adoptive families, Deann's heartfelt journey makes First Person Plural a poignant essay on family, loss, and the reconciling of two identities.
First Person Plural was broadcast nationally on PBS in December, 2000, through the award-winning documentary series, Point of View (POV). The film will have an encore presentation on PBS on August 10, 2010. We invite you to explore the film’s official website for in-depth information about the program.
