Bubble tea and BTS: Inside Winnipeg's thriving K-pop fan scene

Inside The Alley, a southwest Winnipeg bubble tea caf, a group of mostly young women are celebrating TaeJin.

For the uninitiated, TaeJinis amashup of the names Kim Taehyung and Kim Seok-Jin, both members of the superstarK-pop boy band BTS. They both happen to share birthdays in the same monthhence the celebration.

The recent Winnipeg party includedselfies, stickers, specially designed cup sleeves,music, and some major bonding with new friends over a common thread: their shared loveof BTS and K-pop in general.

"We're bringing together two things that I really like bubble tea andBTS. So why wouldn't I be here?" said LaniKotyrba, one of a couple dozen fans who flooded the cafon a recent weekend to celebrate all things Korean pop music.

Winnipeg's K-pop fan scene is growing, said Leeza Duong, organizer of the TaeJin party. She hosts several events a year bringingfans together.

Winnipeg's K-pop fan sceneis the subjectof a new micro-documentary by LauraMarie Carandang,19, and three of her 18-year-old classmates in the Create program at Sisler High School in Winnipeg.

Jassey Bombita Galatierra,Cyrhyl ZamoraandChaira Plagaalso worked with Carandang on the project.

Sisler Createis a post-high school program thattrains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking.

The short documentary was produced as part of CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create, an ongoing video storytelling collaboration.

Meet the filmmakers

Laura Marie Carandang is sociable and hard-working. She loves filmmaking and editing. She has been editing videos since 2016 as a hobby. Laura enjoys going out, dancingand playing video games in her free time.

Chaira Plaga is a Sisler High School graduate with a background in motion and graphic design. Taking visual effectsin the last year sparked herinterest in cinematography.

Now, Plaga wants to discover her potential in film production. She is happy to be part of Sisler'spost-high school filmcohort this year, and is excited to discover her other talents. In her free time, she likes cleaning, listening to music, and expanding her photography skills.

Cyrhyl Zamora has always had a passion for creation. She loves painting, sculpting, writing and photography.

After being introduced to filmmaking in high school, she discovered a new passion. She uses her comfort with cameras and photography to capture her vision. She wants to continue to perfect her skills in filmmaking and storytelling to elevate the quality of her work.

Jassey Bombita Galatierra is a St. John's High School graduate and joined Sisler Create to pursue her love of filmmaking, photography and editing. In her free time, sheenjoys listening to music, watching Korean TV shows, dancing and playing games.

More about Project POV: Sisler Create

CBC Manitoba's Project POV: SislerCreate is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBCManitoba journalists to produce short docs. The collaboration is in its second year. You can see past projectshere.

The Winnipeg School Division's Createprogram is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts.

During fall 2023, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking studentsand led producing workshopsat theCreate program at Sisler High School.

The post-high school programfocuseson education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.