Anime Night at the Drive-In with Lu Over The Wall (夜明け告げるルーのうた) and Promare (プロメア), November 8 at Carrie Furnace.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Screenshot Asia will present Anime Night at the Drive-In with two Japanese films, Lu Over The Wall (夜明け告げるルーのうた) and Promare (プロメア), November 8 at Carrie Furnace. Space is limited and advance registration is required. The evening also features a costume and car decorating contest.

Did you miss cosplaying at Tekko this year? Want to show off your spookiest Halloween costume one more time? Celebrate the evening by dressing up as your favorite characters or by decorating your vehicle! Post your photos on social media with the event hashtag (#AnimeNightPGH2020) for a chance to be featured on the big screen and to win some fun prizes! Prizes for costume contest include two badges to Tekko 2021. Prizes for car-decoration contest include a basket of swag from Screenshot:Asia & Tekko, and two badges to Tekko 2021.

The event starts at 5:00 pm and registration is required. The Carrie Blast Furnaces are located in Rankin, a few miles southeast of Pittsburgh (map).

New Alice Gu documentary The Donut King opens online at Tull Family Theater today.

The documentary The Donut King opens online via Sewickley's Tull Family Thater on October 30. From the official site:

Ted’s story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. It’s the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls.

Tickets are available purchase online via the Tull Family Theater, with 50% of proceeds going there.

K-Pop/FRESA Virtual Showcase, November 5 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Fresh Entertainment by Student Artists (FRESA) will present K-Pop/FRESA Virtual Showcase on November 5, part of the university's International Week. Registration is required.

"Craft Beer Connection: Pennsylvania, Japan and the Business of Beer," November 19.

via @bairdbrewing

The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia and the Pittsburgh-based Japan America Society of Pennsylvania will present "Craft Beer Connection: Pennsylvania, Japan and the Business of Beer" online on November 19.

Over the past decade, craft brewers in the US have exploded onto the beer market. Japan’s craft boom is just starting, but both have become big business. This event will explore the impact and opportunities created by this exciting industry all while sampling their products. Grab a drink and network virtually with us after the panel discussion! The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia in partnership with the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania will present this program in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with support from Pennsylvania Commerce Department and media partner Philadelphia Business Journal.

Tickets are $15 and available online.

"Heroes and Toilers: Work and Life in Postwar North Korea, 1953-1961," November 5 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present Cheehyung Harrison Kim and his talk "Heroes and Toilers: Work and Life in Postwar North Korea, 1953-1961" on November 5.

DR. CHEEHYUNG HARRISON KIM offers an analysis of postwar North Korea that avoids the pitfalls of exoticism and exceptionalism to offer a new answer to the fundamental question of North Korea’s historical development.
In search of national unity and bureaucratic order in the decade following the Korean War, the North Korean state turned to labor. Even more than coercion or violence, work was crucial to state control. Industrial labor was both mode of production and mode of governance, characterized by repetitive work, mass mobilization, labor heroes, and the insistence on convergence between living and working. At the same time, workers challenged and reconfigured state power to accommodate their circumstances—coming late to work, switching jobs, and fighting with bosses, as well as following approved paths to secure their livelihood, resolve conflict, and find happiness.

The online event starts at 5:00 pm on Zoom and is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

2018 film Shoplifters (万引き家族)) with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, November 4.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 2018 Japanese film Shoplifters (万引き家族)) on November 4 as the final installment of its three-part Hirokazu Koreeda series.

After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold.

At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces.

Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them..

It will be accompanied by a lecture from Dr. Linda Ehrlich, author of The Films of Koreeda Hirokazu: An Elemental Cinema. Registration for the free 7:00 pm event is required.

Taiwan's Ministry of Education signs Memorandum of Understanding with Pitt's Asian Studies Center to promote Taiwan studies.

Writes Focus Taiwan:

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of Pittsburgh to carry out a research project on modern Taiwanese history, according to a Wednesday press release from the MOE.

Selections from China, Japan, Korea part of 2020 Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival, November 11 through 22.

Selections from China, Japan, and Korea will help compriise the 2020 Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival, which runs online from November 11 through 22.

"Aida," a 10-minute film from the US and Japan.

A young mother is stuck between development and decay.

"Angel's Mirror," a 14-minute Chinese short film.

A group of young boys are fascinated by a girl who spends her days looking out the window.

Beethoven in Beijing, a 2020 documentary.

The often-tense relationship between the U.S. and China is seen through a different lens in Beethoven in Beijing. Targeted for elimination during the Communist Revolution, Western classical music had all but disappeared from China. But in 1973, Chinese interest in classical music was rekindled when President Nixon dispatched the Philadelphia Orchestra to help open the bamboo curtain. Co-directed by Duquesne University alumna and former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter, Jennifer Lin, the film gives a compelling, up-close look at how music can change hearts and minds–and history.

"Beyond Noh," a four-minute short from the US and Japan.

Masks from all over the world take us on a cultural journey through ritual, utility, deviance, and politics.

"Pangu," a six-minute short from the US and China.

A modern tale about parenthood and the differences between generations.

"Son of Memory," a 19-minute film from Japan.

What if you could bring back your loved one for 49 days?

"Tiger and Ox," a nine-minute short from South Korea.

What does divorce mean to women in a patriarchal Korean society?

Tickets are available for purchase for full-length films on their own, or for short films as part of blocks.

Kung Fu Hustle (功夫) online with Pitt's Office of International Services, November 4.

The University of Pittsburgh's Office of International Services will present the 2004 Chinese movie Kung Fu Hustle (功夫) online on November 4, part of OIS's Watch Party Wednesday series. From the distributor:

Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer) is at it again with his newest action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, KUNG FU HUSTLE. From wildly imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and characters this zany! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yuen Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix), KUNG FU HUSTLE will blow you away! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung fu master of all.

It is free and open to the Pitt community and plays online from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Registration is required.

More theaters announced for Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] 1 & 2 (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]) in Pittsburgh, November 14.

The Japanese animated movies Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] 1 & 2 (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]) will play in Pittsburgh as a double feature on November 14. From the distributor:

Join fans across the country for an exclusive one-night double feature event featuring parts 1 and part 2 of the Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] trilogy. Don’t miss “I. presage flower” and “II. lost butterfly” as the films returns to the big screen before the final installment, “III. spring song,” arrives in theaters later in the month.

It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, and North Hills; tickets are available online.

Filipino-American film Yellow Rose continues in Pittsburgh, through October 29.

The 2019 film Yellow Rose, which opened in Pittsburgh on October 8, will continue here through at least October 29. From the movie's official site:

Rose, an undocumented Filipino girl, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas.

It plays locally now at the Tull Family Theater in Sewickley, and tickets are available online. The Tull Family Theater is located at 418 Walnut St. in Sewickley (map).

“Music, Sound, and Nostalgia in My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies" with Pitt's Department of Music, October 29.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will host Visiting Scholar Kunio Hara and his lecture "Music, Sound, and Nostalgia in My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies" online on October 29.

"In Conversation Online: An-My Lê, Monique Truong, and Hannah Turpin," October 28 with Carnegie Museum of Art.

Untitled, Sapa, 1995, via anmyle.com

The Carnegie Museum of Art will present "In Conversation Online: An-My Lê, Monique Truong, and Hannah Turpin" on October 28, part of the exhibition An-My Lê On Contested Terrain running through January 18, 2021.

Fantuan / Just Order Enterprises Corp. (饭团) hiring Mandarin-speaking Business Developer.

Fantuan, a delivery service catering to Asian restaurants and groceries that recently expanded to Pittsburgh, is hiring a Mandarin-speaking Business Developer.

Full Job Description

Fantuan was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2014. With a mission of “life made easier,” the company is a one-stop platform providing food delivery (Fantuan Delivery), reviews (Fantuan Reviews), an errand service (Fantuan Rush), e-commerce and marketing services. Fantuan is one of the top Asian life-services platforms in North America, currently operating across Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and other metropolitan areas in Canada and the US.

Responsibilities

• Actively develop business partners and maintain relationships with existing businesses
• Correctly instruct customers to register, install and use merchant app
• Responsible for the offline promotions
• Complete specified monthly tasks on time

"All Water Has A Perfect Memory: Video Temporalities of Chen Qiulin," November 5 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh Humanities Center will host Ellen Larson and her talk "All Water Has A Perfect Memory: Video Temporalities of Chen Qiulin" on November 5.

Contemporary Chinese artist Chen Qiulin’s (b. 1975) video projects are inspired by her own personal anamnesis, emotions, and autobiographical connection to space and place. Her slow, meandering video landscapes reflect temporalities seeping in nostalgia; lamenting the irrevocable loss of the physical structures and natural environment that have shaped her childhood memories. Chen came of age in the small Sichuan city of Wanxian, near Chongqing. Like millions of others, her homeland was demolished in advancement of the Three Gorges Dam Project (1994-2012). Through a combination of documentary and surrealist dreamlike aesthetics, Chen’s spatially subjective temporalities reveal particular Chinese notions of time, evoking historical legacies of regional traditions and forms of nostalgia which function as a fluid placeholder for memory. Chen engages both post-industrial and natural landscapes to construct her moving image narratives, all which respond to China’s rapid urbanization during the early 2000s within the Yangzi River region.

Discussion will focus on a dissertation chapter to be circulated prior to the colloquium.

The onlinei discussion will run from 12:30 to 2:00 pm and is free and open to the public.

"Making Indigeneity in 20th Century Japan" at Pitt, October 22.

via Ryukyu Shimpo.

The University of Pittsburgh's World History Center will host Vicky Shen and her talk "Making Indigeneity in 20th Century Japan" on October 22.

Vicky Shen, a Ph.D. student in history at the University of Pittsburgh, will lead a conversation on the usefulness and challenges of engaging with indigeneity as a global concept. She will share her research on Okinawa, which examines the World Uchinanchu Festival and the cultural politics behind the construction of a transnational indigenous identity by the local government in the 1980s and 1990s.
This is part of a series titled "Global Indigeneities: Parallels and Intersections in the Global Fight for Reparations and Teaty Rights."

The event runs from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on Zoom and is free and open to the public.

Japan Exchange and Teaching Program 2021 info session, October 22 at Pitt.

via Pedro Szekely (Creative Commons) 

The Pittsburgh JET Alumni Association will present its annual JET Program 2021 info session with the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center on October 22. The free event will run online from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, and registration is required.

2020 Japanese animated movie Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]」III.spring song) in Pittsburgh, from November 18.

The 2020 Japanese animated movie Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]」III.spring song) will play in Pittsburgh from November 18. It follows a double-feature of the trilogy's first two movies on November 14. From the distributor:

The thrilling Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] trilogy comes to its incredible conclusion with the release of the final chapter, Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song, on the big screen!

Japanese movies Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] 1 & 2 (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]) playing around Pittsburgh in double feature, November 14.

The Japanese animated movies Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] 1 & 2 (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]) will play in Pittsburgh as a double feature on November 14. From the distributor:

Join fans across the country for an exclusive one-night double feature event featuring parts 1 and part 2 of the Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] trilogy. Don’t miss “I. presage flower” and “II. lost butterfly” as the films returns to the big screen before the final installment, “III. spring song,” arrives in theaters later in the month.

It is currently scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront---though more theaters may be announced later---and tickets are available online.

Bunkasai with Pitt's Japanese Student Association, online on October 16.

The University of Pittsburgh's Japanese Student Association will host an online Bunkasai festival on October 16. The 7:30 pm event is open to the Pitt community, though RSVP is required.

New Chinese movie My People, My Homeland (我和我的家乡) continues in Pittsburgh through October 21.

The new Chinese movie My People, My Homeland (我和我的家乡), which opened in Pittsburgh on October 9, will continue here through October 21.

An anthology consisting of five stories, this sequel to 2019’s megahit film MY PEOPLE, MY COUNTRY is produced by the legendary Zhang Yimou (director of CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, HERO, RAISE THE RED LANTERN and JU DOU). With an ensemble of the most talented actors and actresses from Greater China, the stories tie into the spirit of country in a comical, dramatic and touching way.

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.

Filipino-American film Yellow Rose continues in Pittsburgh, through October 21.

The 2019 film Yellow Rose, which opened in Pittsburgh on October 8, will continue here through at least October 21. From the movie's official site:

Rose, an undocumented Filipino girl, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas.

It plays locally at the AMC theaters in the South Hills, Waterfront, and Westmoreland County through the 18th and at the Cinemark theater in Robinson through the 21st; tickets are available online.

KSA x Daehwa: Chuseok, October 17 (online) at Pitt.

The Korean Student Association and Daehwa Conversation Club at the University of Pittsburgh will host an online Chuseok on October 17.

Hello everyone!

Pitt KSA and Daehwa are proud to present our upcoming event, Chuseok! Join us on Zoom as we celebrate the Korean autumn harvest festival - learn about the history and cultural importance of the holiday, experience the virtual workshops we've planned, and compete in our Yut Nori tournament!

We will also be giving away FIVE Deluxe Korean Snack Boxes from SnackFever, each with a $50 value, shipped to the winners' addresses! Two will be given to the winners of the Yut Nori tournament, and the remaining three winners will be selected randomly.

We will later release a finalized schedule for the event as it approaches, so be sure to keep an eye out! We hope to see you there!

Zoom Link: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/93950662114 Meeting ID: 939 5066 2114

It runs from 1:00 to 3:30 and is open to the Pitt community.

New Thai place "Street Noodles" now open in the South Side.

A new Thai restaurant, Street Noodles, is now open on the South Side after being permitted to open last month by the county health department. It is located at 1703 E. Carson St. (map), in the former location of Dancing Crab TOO, and is run by the Burmese couple behind the Golden Land Asian Cuisine that existed in Allison Park from 2017 until recently.

"The Fall of Hong Kong: Comparative and Historical Perspectives on a Global City in Crisis" with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, October 15.

via Jonathan van Smit (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Jeffrey Wasserstrom and his online talk "The Fall of Hong Kong: Comparative and Historical Perspectives on a Global City in Crisis" on October 15.

Dr. Jeffrey Wasserstrom will focus on recent events in Hong Kong, from the city’s response to COVID-19 to the imposition of a new National Security Law that was imposed on the metropolis by Beijing. It will expand on and update the arguments in the author’s most recent book, Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink, which took the story of protest and repression in the city up to October 2019. The speaker will draw on both his experiences on the ground in Hong Kong, including during a December 2019 visit that gave him a chance to watch last year’s last massive march, and his past work on social movements in Shanghai and other urban centers.

The event runs from 3:00 to 4:30 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Puppet Workshop Series: Japanese Karakuri, October 14 with the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

via nippon.com

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh will hold an online workshop for kids on Japanese Karakuri puppets, October 14.

What if you could build puppet versions of your favorite Japanese anime characters and make them appear to move by themselves? Join Georgia based puppeteer, Paulette Richards, as we explore Japanese Karakuri puppets and ways that Karakuri mechanisms have merged with electronics. Together well learn simple mechanisms we can use to animate our own puppet creations! This virtual workshop will be hosted on Zoom and is designed for ages 6-10. Materials to have on hand: scrap cardboard, scrap paper, paper fasteners or paper clips, hole punch, scissors, ruler, glue, pens, pencils or markers.

The 4:00 - 5:30 pm event is free but advance registration is required.

2003 Bong Joon-ho film Memories of Murder (살인의 추억) in Pittsburgh-area theaters, October 19 and 20.

The 2003 Bong Joon-ho film Memories of Murder (살인의 추억) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on October 19 and 20. From the distributor:

MEMORIES OF MURDER tells the harrowing true story of the hunt for a sadistic serial rapist and murderer terrorizing a small province in 1980s South Korea. Marking the first of many successful collaborations between four-time Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho and leading man Song Kang Ho, the film follows the paths of three increasingly desperate detectives as they attempt to decipher the violent mind of a killer in a futile effort to solve the case.

Now, seventeen years after its initial release, and a year after the real culprit was identified, this cult classic takes its place as a modern masterpiece.

So far it is scheduled to play at AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson and tickets are available online.

2019 Japanese film Lupin III: The First (ルパン三世 THE FIRST) in Pittsburgh, October 18 and 21.

The 2019 Japanese film Lupin III: The First (ルパン三世 THE FIRST) will play in Pittsburgh on October 18 and 21. A summary from the distributor:

The iconic “gentleman thief” Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich. The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that have made LUPIN THE 3RD one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new.

It will play locally at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless and Monroeville and the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online. The October 18th screening is dubbed in English while the October 21st one has English subtitles.

Pittsburgh Pirates sign Taiwanese pitching prospect Po-Yu Chen (陳柏毓).

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 19-year-old pitcher Po-Yu Chen (陳柏毓) out of Taoyuan, Taiwan.

The Pirates set their sights on Chen, viewing him as equivalent to a second-round-type talent in the MLB Draft, but needed to obtain more international bonus pool space to sign him. So on Sept. 20, the last day to make such trades, they sent left-hander Domingo Robles to the Cardinals and right-hander Conner Loeprich to the Orioles, acquiring bonus pool slots in each deal.

[General Manager] Cherington said the Pirates have been scouting Chen for three years, writing up more than 25 reports on him.

“In particular, our scout in Taiwan, Fu Chun Chiang, did a great job getting to know Po-Yu and his family and putting us in a position to sign him,” Cherington said. “I enjoyed meeting Po-Yu this week in Pittsburgh, and we look forward to working with him in the years to come.

Chen received a $1.25 million signing bonus, according to the team's beat writer. The Pirates signed one other Taiwanese player in 2019-2020: 17-year old Cheng Tsung-Che (鄭宗哲).

JET Program 2021 info session, October 22 at Pitt.

via Pedro Szekely (Creative Commons) 

The Pittsburgh JET Alumni Association will present its annual JET Program 2021 info session with the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center on October 22. The event will run from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, though login details are still pending.

It's time for Pitt's annual info session; this year it'll be fully online. I (Smitha) will be leading it, and JET alumni (especially recent returnees) are more than welcome to attend and share your experiences with prospectives. Will include more info as I get it, including info on how to join (Pitt is hosting it), but the date/time are confirmed as of yesterday. This should be an interesting one, as there are plenty of unknowns related to the Coronavirus.

K-Pop/FRESA Virtual Showcase, November 5 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Fresh Entertainment by Student Artists (FRESA) will present K-Pop/FRESA Virtual Showcase on November 5, part of the university's International Week. The online showcase will run from 8:00 to 9:30 pm, and login details should be available shortly.

2018 Taiwanese movie Dear Ex (誰先愛上他的) online at Pitt, October 14.

The University of Pittsburgh's Office of International Services will present the 2018 Taiwanese movie Dear Ex (誰先愛上他的) on October 14 as part of its Watch Party Wednesdays series. From a 2019 New York Times review:

Following the death of his father (Spark Chen), [13-year-old] Chengxi finds himself caught between his mother, Sanlian (Hsieh Ying-hsuan), and Jay (Roy Chiu), a man for whom his father left his family. Chengxi has been written out of his late father’s insurance policy, and all of the money will now go to Jay — as soon as Sanlian signs off on it. Chengxi copes with the resulting fight by moving in with Jay (to the displeasure of both adults), drawn to the man’s mercurial nature and relationship with his father.

The 7:00 pm event is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Discussion of Leslie Chang's Factory Girls, October 15 with University of Pittsburgh's Global Studies Center.

The University of Pittsburgh's Global Studies Center will host a discussion of Leslie Chang's 2008 book Factory Girls on October 15.

This reading group for educators explores literary texts from a global perspective. Content specialists present the work and its context, and together we brainstorm innovative pedagogical practices for incorporating the text and its themes into the curriculum. Sessions this year will take place virtually on Thursday evenings from 5-7:30 PM. Books and Act 48 credit are provided.

“Music, Sound, and Nostalgia in My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies" with Pitt's Department of Music, October 29.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will host Visiting Scholar Kunio Hara and his lecture "Music, Sound, and Nostalgia in My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies" online on October 29.

Jasmine Cho with Pitt's Asian Student Alliance, October 9.

The Asian Student Alliance at the University of Pittsburgh will host Jasmine Cho on October 9.

Wait no longer...Pitt ASA is hosting our FIRST speaker event of the year! On October 9th 2020, we are honored to be hosting Jasmine M. Cho, Pittsburgh based artist, author and cookie activist.

Founder of Yummyholic, an online bakery specializing in novelty and custom cookies, Jasmine is known for her portrait cookies that elevates representation for the AAPI community. She sees the kitchen as a way to intersect social justice and baking. One cookie at a time, Jasmine takes hard to digest topics and makes them edible!

Date and Time: Friday, October 9th 2020, 7:30PM
Zoom Link: WILL POST SOON

This is a perfect Friday Night event! Warm up some apple cider, make a meal with you

New Chinese movie My People, My Homeland (我和我的家乡) in Pittsburgh, from October 9.

The new Chinese movie My People, My Homeland (我和我的家乡) will play in Pittsburgh from October 9.

An anthology consisting of five stories, this sequel to 2019’s megahit film MY PEOPLE, MY COUNTRY is produced by the legendary Zhang Yimou (director of CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, HERO, RAISE THE RED LANTERN and JU DOU). With an ensemble of the most talented actors and actresses from Greater China, the stories tie into the spirit of country in a comical, dramatic and touching way.

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.

Nakama again voted best Japanese food in Pittsburgh by readers of Pittsburgh City-Paper. GetGo not named Best Sushi.

The results of the 2020 Pittsburgh City-Paper Readers' Poll were released today and Nakama was again voted as Best Japanese food in Pittsburgh. Sichuan Gourmet was voted Best Chinese, Bae-Bae's Kitchen Best Korean, Nicky's Thai Kitchen as Best Thai, The Slippery Mermaid as Best Sushi, and Tram's Kitchen as Best Vietnamese.

2004 Japanese film 2004's Nobody Knows (誰も知らない) with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, October 14.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 2004 Japanese film 2004's Nobody Knows (誰も知らない) on October 14, the second of a three-part series of Hirokazu Koreeda films. A brief introduction, from a 2005 Roger Ebert review:

As "Nobody Knows" opens, we watch a mother and two kids moving into a new apartment. They wrestle some heavy suitcases up the stairs. When the movers have left, they open the suitcases and release two younger children, who are a secret from the landlord. "Remember the new rules," the mother says. "No going outside. Not even on the veranda -- except for Kyoko, to do the laundry."

The film will be presented with comments from Dr. Charles Exley of Pitt's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures. Registration for the free 7:00 pm event is required.

Chinese 3D computer-animated film Legend of Deification (姜子牙) continues in Pittsburgh through (at least) October 14.

The Chinese 3D computer-animated film Legend of Deification (姜子牙), also known as Jiang Ziya, which opened in Pittsburgh on October 1, will continue here through at least October 14. From the distributor:

To earn his place amongst the gods, celestial army commander Jiang Ziya must vanquish a terrifying fox demon threatening the very existence of the mortal realm. After learning the creature’s fate is tied to that of a young girl, Jiang Ziya disobeys Heaven’s edict and spares the demon, resulting in his banishment to the mortal realm. Ten years later, he is given one more chance to complete the task, and Jiang Ziya must decide: is joining the ranks of the heavens worth the price of one innocent life?

JIANG ZIYA—follow-up to international blockbuster NE ZHA and second chapter in the Fengshen Cinematic Universe—is a fate-defying, action-packed legendary tale retold through vibrant Chinese animation.

The first movie, Ne Zha, played in Pittsburgh last year. Legend of Diefication plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

BTS concert film Break the Silence (브레이크 더 사일런스: 더 무비) continues in Pittsburgh through (at least) October 14.

The BTS concert film Break the Silence (브레이크 더 사일런스: 더 무비), which opened in Pittsburgh on September 24, will stay here through at least October 14.

BTS WORLD TOUR 'LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF' is now over. The worldwide stadium tour topped the Billboard Boxscore, and marked BTS as the first Korean group to perform at Wembley Stadium. The tour took place across Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, São Paulo, London, Paris, Osaka, Shizuoka, Riyadh, and Seoul.

With unprecedented access, BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE travels with BTS throughout the tour, exploring each band member behind the curtain. Off stage, we see another side of BTS. The seven members begin to candidly tell personal stories they have never voiced before.

Facing my other self ‘PERSONA’

It will continue to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and Tickets are available online. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.

"Art, Identity, and Activism with Jasmine Cho: An Interactive Cookie Art Workshop," November 5 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Global Hub will host Jasmine Cho and her presentation "Art, Identity, and Activism with Jasmine Cho: An Interactive Cookie Art Workshop" on November 5 as part of International Week.

The Pitt Global Hub and Asian Studies Center present Art, Identity, and Activism with Jasmine Cho: An Interactive Cookie Art Workshop as part of International Week 2020. Join us for an interactive cookie art workshop with Jasmine Cho as she speaks on topics of identity and activism. This event is free and open to the Pitt community – families are encouraged! The first 25 registrants will receive a FREE cookie kit complete with two blank sugar cookies as well as all the tools you’ll need to decorate along with Jasmine. All registrants will receive an ingredient list and recipe ahead of time.

Jasmine Cho is a Pittsburgh-based artist, author, and cookie activist most known for using portrait cookies to elevate representation for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders. She is also a Food Network Champion (“Christmas Cookie Challenge” Season 3, Episode 8) and the Founder of Yummyholic. Her cookie activism has been featured internationally on various media outlets that include NPR, HuffPost, CBS This Morning, and The Korea Daily. In 2019, Jasmine gave a TEDx talk on her work that immediately went viral and has since reached over 47K views. Jasmine has received numerous accolades including CREATOR of the Year by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Small Business Community Champion Award by Citizens Bank, and was also awarded a Mayor’s Proclamation declaring Jan. 28th, 2020 as “Jasmine Cho Day” by the City of Pittsburgh. Expanding to traditional fine art while pursuing art therapy studies, Jasmine wrote, illustrated, and published her first children’s book, Role Models Who Look Like Me: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Made History. You can see more of her work at jasminemcho.com.

The 6:30 pm event is free but registration is required.

"In Conversation Online: An-My Lê, Monique Truong, and Hannah Turpin," October 28 with Carnegie Museum of Art.

Untitled, Sapa, 1995, via anmyle.com

The Carnegie Museum of Art will present "In Conversation Online: An-My Lê, Monique Truong, and Hannah Turpin" on October 28, part of the exhibition An-My Lê On Contested Terrain running through January 18, 2021.

"Making Indigeneity in 20th Century Japan" at Pitt, October 22.

via Ryukyu Shimpo.

The University of Pittsburgh's World History Center will host Vicky Shen and her talk "Making Indigeneity in 20th Century Japan" on October 22.

Vicky Shen, a Ph.D. student in history at the University of Pittsburgh, will lead a conversation on the usefulness and challenges of engaging with indigeneity as a global concept. She will share her research on Okinawa, which examines the World Uchinanchu Festival and the cultural politics behind the construction of a transnational indigenous identity by the local government in the 1980s and 1990s.
This is part of a series titled "Global Indigeneities: Parallels and Intersections in the Global Fight for Reparations and Teaty Rights."

The event runs from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on Zoom and is free and open to the public.

2019 documentary Queer Japan (クィア・ジャパン) part of (online) Reel Q: Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival, October 12.

The 2019 documentary Queer Japan (クィア・ジャパン) will play online on October 12 as part of the Reel Q: Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival.

Queer Japan is an ensemble film that profiles a range of artists, academics, community organizers, and activists who are members of the LGBTQcommunity in Japan. Kolbeins has described the film as "a series of character studies," rather than an issue-focused documentary.

The film will be available online on the 12th and viewers will have 24 hours to complete it.

Chinese logistics/shipping company WorldCPS (天马物流集团) to open in Squirrel Hill.

Signage recently went up for a branch of a Chinese logistics / shipping company WorldCPS (天马物流集团) in Squirrel Hill. It will be located at 2208 Murray Ave. (map), near the intersection with Phillips Ave.

A few similar Chinese companies have opened and closed in Squirrel Hill over the past few years as the number of Chinese residents has increased: STO Express from January 2016 through July 2017; KS Express a few doors down in November 2016 through early 2020; Kuapai (快派) from November 2019 to present.

Filipino-American film Yellow Rose in Pittsburgh, from October 8.

The 2019 film Yellow Rose will play in Pittsburgh from October 8. From the movie's official site:

Rose, an undocumented Filipino girl, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

Teppan BBQ (板川名府) coming soon to Squirrel Hill in old Ka Mei spot.

Signage recently went up for Teppan BBQ (板川名府), coming soon to 2209 Murray Ave (map) in Squirrel Hill. It is going in the spot most recently occupied by Ka Mei, which closed in August.