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BTS ARMY is one of the world’s largest and most globally active fanbases.
Trafalgar Releasing
BTS has already inspired a few entertaining documentaries. Yet those documentaries may only tell half of the story. A new film Forever We Are Young offers a unique perspective on the BTS fandom, known collectively as ARMY, and how they became a global force for change. ARMY—which stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth—is one of the world’s most active fanbases. With a membership that some rate as high as 100 million members, ARMY is a force to be reckoned with.
Filmmakers Grace Lee and Dr. Patty Ahn gave fans a chance to tell their own stories and used these interviews to illustrate the band’s timeline. Fans relate anecdotes of how and when they learned to love BTS and what the band meant to them, often in juxtaposition with clips of the music that won their hearts.
The filmmakers asked fans to tell the story of how BTS changed their lives.
Trafalgar Releasing
The film proceeds chronologically starting with the band’s early days when some fans met BTS through vlogs of fan members’ daily lives. By the time BTS played their first U.S. gig at a small venue in California, a group of U.S. fans were already there to support them.
Forever We Are Young is also a story about the globalization of entertainment and the role the Internet played in introducing Korean culture to the world. Fans from all over the world not only connected with a new band in South Korea, they connected with each other. Those fans supported the band as they achieved international stardom, further globalizing the music industry in the process.
BTS, which is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan or “bulletproof boyscouts,” debuted in 2013 under what was then a relatively small Korean music label, Big Hit Entertainment. The seven-member band, consisting of RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, released their first album “2 Cool 4 Skool” that year and by 2017 had entered the Billboard Hot 100 with their song “DNA.” They were the first Korean band to accomplish this and it wasn’t the last record they would break. Their first all-English single “Dynamite” was released in 2020 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The multi-talented band just kept winning awards and breaking records, until they became the most popular k-pop band in the world.
The fandom played an important role in that success. Fans made sure to vote for BTS during awards shows. In 2017 fans voted for the band to win Billboard Award for Top Social Artist, an award previously held for years by Justin Bieber, and then fans also lobbied radio stations to play BTS songs. Their efforts were so successful, the fandom went on to participate in fundraising efforts and social change activism. A fandom that’s so connected can react very quickly.
‘Forever We Are Young’ reminds viewers why music can be magical.
Trafalgar Releasing
The film emphasizes that the diversity of the transnational fandom is its strength. Interviews include a range of fans of all ages and backgrounds, from musicians to scholars to filmmakers to video reactors. A few share emotional stories about how the band’s music helped them. Some fans grew up with BTS and connected with their early struggles and hard work. Others gained strength from their positive lyrics, lyrics that spoke about defying the system and remaining true to yourself. Their songs of hope and defiance stressed the importance of individuality and perseverance. The fandom also allowed ARMY members to make friends around the world, friendships that survived the pandemic and the band’s absence when all seven members had to fulfill the mandatory military duty required of able-bodied Korean males.
Directors Lee and Ahn are both avid BTS fans, with a background in film and media. Lee directed and produced two episodes of the Peabody Award-winning Asian American series as well as And She Could Be Next, a series about women of color transforming politics and civic engagement, and The Grace Lee Project. Ahn is a professor of film and media studies at UC San Diego, In addition to shooting and working on independent documentary projects, Ahn teaches film and television theory and production courses on Asian and Asian/American media, television history, popular music and media activism.
Forever We Are Young celebrates both the band and the magic of its global fandom. Even if you’re not a k-pop or BTS fan, there’s a lot to enjoy in this film, as it’s about finding inspiration and joy, finding yourself in the music and, despite whatever obstacles you face, taking the time to dance. The film debuted at SXSW 2025 and will hit theaters on July 30.
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