Filed Under: Culture, Film, Korean Diaspora, Korean War, Working Papers

On October 18, 2010, at 6pm, the U.S.-Korea Institute and the Korea Studies Program at SAIS are pleased to host a screening and discussion of Deann Borshay Liem’s latest documentary, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, at the Kenney Auditorium (1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036) at SAIS.

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 United States in 1966. Told to keep her true identity a secret from her new American family, this eight-year-old girl 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, which premiered on PBS in September 2010 as part of a three-part POV series on international adoption, is a search for answers. It follows acclaimed filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem as she returns to her native Korea to find her “double,” the mysterious girl whose place she took in America.

In follow up to the Emmy nominated First Person Plural, Deann Borshay Liem’s personal quest raises questions about identity, memory and paths not taken.

All such adoptions can present daunting challenges to adoptees as they come of age and try to understand their split heritage. But this story had a further twist. Find event details and RSVP for this screening here.