Try to Remember: A Documentary Screening with Director Dae-Hyun Kim. Photo by Violet Gude (’29 Broadcast Journalism major).

When Dr. Nam Lee (Film and Media Arts) learned director Kim Daehyun would be in Los Angeles to screen Try to Remember (2015), a documentary about the Kim Sisters who are credited as the originators of K-pop music; she partnered with  Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa (Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Associate Dean for Academic Programs; Sociology) to bring him to campus for an exclusive screening. The event brought together Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences’ Asian American Studies & Ethnic Studies minors and Dodge College of Film and Media Arts for co-sponsorship.

The seventy-minute documentary highlights Mia (Min-ja) Kim, one of the original members as she reflects on her family history, memories of home, and her experience being in the Kim Sisters. The group began during the Korean War when Lee Nan-young, mother of  Sook-ja Kim and Ai-ja Kim (the other two members of the group) and aunt to Min-ja, brought the three together as a vocal group. As the Kim Sisters, they performed on U.S. Army bases and in local clubs for GIs stationed in South Korea. They sang in English despite not being fluent in the language. By 1958, the Kim Sisters had gained popularity for their renditions of American songs and ability to play thirteen different instruments between them, including bagpipes, bass, guitar, drums, and saxophone.

After gaining attention from talent agent Tom Ball, the Kim Sisters moved to Las Vegas for a performance residency at the Thunderbird Hotel. This opportunity brought further attention to the trio, resulting in invitations to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. The sisters had 22 appearances as musical guests on the show over six years. These performances brought international attention to the trio and laid the foundation for being the leading women to popularize K-pop.

K-Pop Group, Kim Sisters

In 1959, the sisters released their first album with Monument Records, titled “Their First Album.” However, despite their universal popularity, the album was unsuccessful and the trio continued to perform covers. By 1970, the sisters returned home to perform after 11 years overseas. Soon after, the trio parted ways and began to lead individual lives as they embraced new roles. Sook-ja returned to Las Vegas to continue performing for another decade and Ai-ja passed away in 1987. Min-ja remains the only Kim Sister who actively performs as a singer in Budapest, Hungary, alongside her husband, Tommy Vig.

During the Q&A, Dr. Nam Lee and the director, Kim Daehyun, were joined on stage by Dr. Tammy Yi (Conservatory of Music) and Justin Cho (‘27 Film & TV Production, Film Music minor), who acted as translator for Daehyun. Daehyun reflected on how special it was to have two screenings of Try to Remember in California. His idea to develop this documentary came after discovering, through another K-pop project, that this musical phenomenon originated with the Kim Sisters.

Daehyun emphasized, “The reason I made this documentary was not to record their success. Through the story of a talented prodigal family, I wanted to convey the message of history [within Korean culture and music] at that moment in time.”

Following the Q&A, Justin Cho (‘27 Film & TV Production major, Film Music minor) shared that watching Try to Remember (2015) reminded him of his grandparents, who were fans of the Kim Sisters since the beginning of their stardom. He elaborated, “It sparked a vision within me to make a live action film with actors reenacting the history [of the Kim Sisters] and [showcase their] moments on the Ed Sullivan show.”

(Photo header: Try to Remember: A Documentary Screening with Director Dae-Hyun Kim. Photo by Violet Gude (’29 Broadcast Journalism major).