2026 Japanese film The Samurai and the Prisoner (黒牢城) returns to Pittsburgh area, from October 2.

The 2026 Japanese film The Samurai and the Prisoner (黒牢城), which played here September 11 through 17, will return to the Pittsburgh area from October 2.

When Lord Murashige rises up against the tyrannical Oda, he finds himself besieged within the walls of his own castle. Isolated, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court, plunging the fortress into fear and suspicion. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei, a brilliant and dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon, as he must outwit his enemies and uncover the truth before time runs out.

It plays at the Row House Hollywood on October 2, 3, 7, and 8, and tickets are available online. The Row House Hollywood is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map), one block south of the Potomac T Station.

4K restoration of 1993 Japanese animated film Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖) in Pittsburgh, from October 4.

A new 4K restoration of 1993 Japanese animated film Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖) will play in Pittsburgh on October 4, 5, and 7.

In this anime film, Jubei, a highly skilled ninja, is coerced into slaying his own clan of warriors. After begrudgingly killing his fellow swordsmen, he becomes a roving hired assassin. During his travels, he must face off against an organization of demonic ninjas known as the Devils of Kimon, who are plotting to take power of Japan's government. The Devils will stop at nothing, and have the power to annihilate entire villages. Now, only Jubei and a shogun spy named Dakuan can stop them.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and the Row House Hollywood in Dormont, and tickets are available online. The Row House Hollywood is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map), one block south of the Potomac T Station.

Koreyinz Pittsburgh Bubble Tea opening in Oakland, October 2.

Koreyinz Pittsburgh Bubble Tea will open in Oakland on October 2. It has operated as a mobile vendor at various locations since 2023, and its truck will have a home at 188 S. Bouquet St., on the corner of Forbes Ave. and S. Bouquet St. across from Five Guys.

Join us October 2–4 for the Koreyinz grand opening at the University of Pittsburgh!
🧋Buy one drink, get one free
The first 50 customers get free Koreyinz merch.

Founded in Pittsburgh in 2023, Koreyinz brings modern tea culture to our hometown. Inspired by tea traditions in Taiwan and China—and shaped by years of boba experience in the Bay Area—we craft boba drinks with a modern twist.

Try Modern Fresh Milk Tea, Snowy Whipped Cream Milk Tea, Cloud Foam Milk Tea, Functional Boba Tea, and Classic Boba Tea.

“Koreyinz” is a play on yinz, Pittsburgh’s way of saying “you all.” Tea is meant to be shared, so bring a friend and celebrate with us!

University of Pittsburgh campus
Follow us for the exact location and hours.

2026 Japanese horror film Never After Dark ( ネバーアフターダーク) in Pittsburgh, from October 9.

The 2026 Japanese horror film Never After Dark ( ネバーアフターダーク) will play in Pittsburgh from October 9 through October 15.

Combining nerve-jangling ghost story, disorientating temporal paradox, and a powerful exploration of survivor’s guilt, this gripping and emotive film revisits and reinvigorates Old School J-Horror, in thrilling fashion; mixing classic genre tropes with some unusual new twists on supernatural mythology. Director and writer Dave Boyle, who has worked between the USA and Japan for over a decade, totally nails it, both tonally and visually, allowing the look and feel of the film to gradually darken in tone, as the various component parts of the intricately constructed narrative start to click together, the mystery of precisely what is going on and why starts to unfold, and we come face to face with the long-buried secrets both of the haunted house, and of the film’s likeable but defensive and damaged protagonist. Eerie, and unsettling, with an appealing vein of quirky humour, and a quiet undertow of sorrow and regret, this is a smart, subtle, and narratively satisfying character driven story of the supernatural, which builds to a powerful, gut-punch ending. 

It plays at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online.

"Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program Information Session: Live and Work in Japan!," September 30 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host "Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program Information Session: Live and Work in Japan!" on September 30.

Are you interested in living and working abroad? 
Have you been studying Japanese and looking to apply your skills after graduation? 
Do you want to make an impact on the lives of young people?
Would you like to find out where the ultimate ramen shop is found?

 

If any of these questions apply to you, then please join the Asian Studies Center and JET Alumni group in Pittsburgh for an information session to learn more about the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. This hybrid Information Session will be in room 4130 Posvar Hall, on the 4th floor of W. Wesley Posvar Hall on September 30, 2026 starting at 6:00pm. Learn about the requirements of the JET Program and learn from your future-JET Program sempai with our JET Alumni Panel.

Love in Another Big City: An Evening with Sang Young Park, October 22 at Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Mellon University's Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics Department and the University of Pittsburgh will present "Love in Another Big City: An Evening with Sang Young Park" on October 22.

Author of Love in the Big City, long-listed for the International Booker Prize, Park writes about desire, friendship and queer life in contemporary Seoul with humor and startling honesty. He will read from his work and talk about writing the city — followed by audience questions.

Presented in Korean with English interpretation. Free and open to the public.

It runs from 5:00 to 6:30 pm, though the exact location has not yet been announced. 

1997 Japanese animated film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) in Pittsburgh from September 26, part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2026.

The 1997 Japanese animated film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) will play in the Pittsburgh area from September 26 through September 30 as part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2026.

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki comes an epic masterpiece that has dazzled audiences worldwide with its breathtaking imagination, exhilarating battles, and deep humanity. Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there.

It plays at many local theaters--depending on the day--including AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, GQT Pittsburgh Mills, the Cinemark theaters in Robinson and McCandless, and the CHartiers Valley Luxury 14 + PTX. Tickets are available online; please note, some shows are in Japanese with English subtitles while others are dubbed in Japanese.

Filipino-Icelandic singer-songwriter Yaelokre performing in Pittsburgh, November 14.

Filipino-Icelandic singer-songwriter Yaelokre will perform in Pittsburgh on November 14.

If you ever feel as if music has lost its capacity for surprise, the beguiling wonder and infinite creativity of Yaelokre will respark your belief. The Filipino-Icelandic artist - real name Keath Ósk (they/it) - fuses three imaginative strands to their visionary expression: intimate, innocent folk infused with leftfield surrealism and instant pop accessibility; artwork which is intricately detailed and beautifully alluring; and storytelling which brings personal experience and poetry into rich, fable-like narratives. What’s more, all three of these elements are crafted by this one visionary artist.

The scale of the fantastical world they have created is vast, both in terms of narrative and lore. But its essence is relatively simple. The songs are set in the fictional world of Meadowlark and chart the adventures of four masked children who comprise a musical ensemble known at The Lark: Cole Seymour, Clémente Dearworth, Peregrine August, and Kingsley. They perform as representatives of The Harkers, mythical beings who express the fundamental principles of nature, wonder and chaos. What’s more, Yaelokre voices all of the different characters within their universe.

The show starts at 8:00 pm, doors at 7:00, at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale (map). Tickets are available online.

4K presentation of Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) September 30 for film's 30th anniversary.

A 4K presentation of Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) for the film's 30th anniversary, which opened in Pittsburgh on September 17, will stay here through (at least) September 30. A synopsis, from the Anime News Network:

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as "The Puppetmaster" begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster. The pursuit will call into question what makes a human and what is the Puppetmaster in a world where the distinction between human and machine is increasingly blurry.

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

2026 Korean movie Hope (호프) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) September 30.

The 2026 Korean movie Hope (호프), which opened in Pittsburgh on September 9, will remain here through (at least) September 30.

A police chief, a policewoman and a group of hunters try to track down and kill a mysterious creature that's laying waste to a Korean village.

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

Bilingual Chinese-English Story Hour at Carnegie Library in Oakland, September 26.

The Chinese Library for Children will present Bilingual Story Hour on Saturday, September 26.

Join us for stories, songs, movement and hands-on activities–designed to introduce children to language and culture through play and shared reading.

The target audience is for children age 0 through 5 and their caregivers. It runs from 10:30 to 11:30 am. The tOakland (Main) branch is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by a number of city buses.

4K restoration of 1988 Japanese animated film Akira (アキラ) returns to Pittsburgh, from September 25.

A new 4K restoration of the 1988 Japanese animated film Akira (アキラ) will return to Pittsburgh from September 25.

Set in 2019, Kaneda is a bike gang leader whose close friend Tetsuo gets involved in a top-secret government project known as Akira. On his way to save Tetsuo, Kaneda runs into a group of anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists, and a powerful military leader. Considered one of the greatest films ever made.

It plays at the Row House Hollywood on September 25, 27, 30, and October 1, multiple times per day, and tickets are available online. The Row House Hollywood is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map), one block south of the Potomac T Station.

The Yoshida-ryo Dormitory (対話のゆくえ 京都大学吉田寮), 2026 Japan Documentary Film Award (JDFA) winner, screening in Pittsburgh on September 23.

The Yoshida-ryo Dormitory (対話のゆくえ 京都大学吉田寮), which was named the 2026 Japan Documentary Film Award (JDFA) winner in August, will play at the University of Pittsburgh on September 23, part of the SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Fest.

The Japan Council of the University of Pittsburgh and SCREENSHOT: Asia are pleased to announce the winner of the fifth biennial University of Pittsburgh Japan Documentary Film Award: The Yoshida-ryo Dormitory (『対話のゆくえ 京都大学吉田寮』), directed by Keizo Fujikawa. The film will be screened with the filmmaker in attendance as a special part of the SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Festival. An award ceremony and screening with the filmmaker will take place on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 7:00pm in David Lawrence Hall 121 on campus at the University of Pittsburgh.

The winning film, The Yoshida-ryo Dormitory, takes viewers inside Yoshida-ryō, Kyoto University’s storied self-governing student dormitory, as its residents confront the university’s plans to remove them from a building they have administered themselves for over a century. True to its Japanese title, 対話のゆくえ, which speaks to the continued political importance of dialogue, the film patiently observes the dormitory’s culture of consensus at work: the meetings and negotiations, the compressed history of conflict and litigation, and the recurring celebrations of the dorm festival that bind the students to one another and to the space they are fighting to preserve. With deep roots in the collectivism of the student protest era, the film pushes against familiar stereotypes of Japanese conformity by focusing on the eccentric and communitarian among us, and it speaks directly to questions being asked of universities everywhere: student autonomy, institutional memory, and the reach of administrative power. As one judge noted, the film “captures the essence of the universal, fundamental issue of the world we live in by digging deep into a very local, small world.”

Established by Pitt’s Japan Council to recognize exemplary documentary films promoting the understanding of Japan and Japanese culture, the University of Pittsburgh Japan Documentary Film Award is supported by generous endowments from Japanese donors to promote Japan Studies and deepen cross-cultural understanding at the University of Pittsburgh and across the region. This year’s award marks the tenth anniversary of the program’s founding.

The film starts at 7:00 pm, is followed by an award ceremony with the director, and is free and open to the public in room 121 David Lawrence Hall in Oakland (map).

1957 Kurosawa film Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城) in Pittsburgh, from September 25.

The 1957 Akira Kurosawa film Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城) will play in Pittsburgh from September 25, part of the Row House Lawrenceville's Shakespeare Adaptations series.

Akira Kurosawa retells Macbeth by replacing lords and kings with samurai and emperors in this rendition set in medieval Japan. Brutal, suspenseful, and visually stunning — this is by far one of the best Shakespeare adaptations ever made for the screen.

On the 26th the theater will host a Throne of Blood with Shakespeare Monologues special event.

Our friends from Shakespeare in the Park will introduce this amazing adaptation of Macbeth and perform a few monologues before the show! A portion of all ticket sales will go back to supporting their nonprofit mission.

Tickets are available online. The Row House Lawrenceville is a single-screen theater located at 4115 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

2025 Korean film 3670 in Pittsburgh, September 22, part of SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Fest.

The 2025 Korean film 3670 returns to Pittsburgh on September 22, part of this year's SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Fest. A synopsis, from SCREENSHOT:

CONTENT WARNING: Sexual situations

3670 is a group text code for a meet-up of a special club of friends. For Cheol-jun (Cho You-hyun), a young North Korean defector building a life in Seoul, it becomes the address of a self he has never been able to show in public. By day he works part-time at a convenience store, crams for the college entrance exam, and depends on the fellow defectors who have taken him in. But there is a secret he cannot let even his closest friends know: he is gay. After a chance encounter with another gay man, he is pulled into Seoul’s queer social world: new friends and the messy thrill of wanting someone who may want someone else. Park Joon-ho’s debut keeps the melodrama low and moves with Cheol-jun’s emotional weather, as he experiences the cruelties and beauty of friendship.

It plays from 7:00 pm at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online. University of Pittsburgh students, faculty, and staff can use promo code ASIAN2026 to get free tickets, but must show valid university ID at the door. 

2025 Vietnamese film Ky Nam Inn (Quán Kỳ Nam) in Pittsburgh, September 21 for SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Fest.

The 2025 Vietnamese film Ky Nam Inn (Quán Kỳ Nam) will play in Pittsburgh on September 21 as part of the SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Fest. A synopsis, from SCREENSHOT:

Ky Nam Inn, a romance set in 1980’s Saigon, explores the frustrations of desire when cast against duty, community, expectation, and authoritarianism. Khang (Liên Bỉnh Phát) wants to prove himself to be a skilled translator, even though he may have gotten his job translating The Little Prince from nepotism. Meanwhile, his neighbor Ky Nam (Đỗ Thị Hải Yến) caters lunches out of her kitchen while suffering from judgement because of her deceased husband’s southern associations. Though the film and its characters are unabashedly beautiful, the love story is rooted in literature and language. Their relationship grows because of—and in spite of—how languages cannot close the gaps between cultures, classes, and regions. Shot on luminous 35mm, the lyrical film explores what can and cannot be said in a world with duties, rules, and expectations.

Best film: Beijing International Film Festival (2026)

It plays at 6:30 pm in Public Health G24 on the University of Pittsburgh campus (map) and tickets are available onilne. Tickets are free for CMU students and for University of Pittsburgh students, faculty, and staff.

Queer Taiwan: Works from Jo-Fei Chen, with films Where is my Love? (強迫曝光) and Incidental Journey (海角天涯), September 20 at Carnegie Museum of Art.

The Carnegie Museum of Art will screen two films, Where is my Love? (強迫曝光) and Incidental Journey (海角天涯), on September 20 for SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Fest's "Queer Taiwan: Works from Jo-Fei Chen" programming. A synopsis, from SCREENSHOT:

SCREENSHOT: Asia is excited to bring two rarely-seen works of queer filmmaker Jo-Fei Chen to Pittsburgh. These two works offered a nuanced portrayal of gay love in Taiwan at a time when few films did.

Where is My Love, Taipei in the 1990s: Ko (Wen Jixing) is a young gay writer who has written a story about his sexuality, and is encouraged by his mentor to enter it into a prestigious writing competition. But that would mean publicly revealing his homosexuality, so Ko must decide whether or not to remain in the closet.

Incidental Journey, after breaking up with her girlfriend, student Ching (Wu Su-Li) goes on a road trip around Taiwan. On the island’s east coast, she encounters hitchhiker Hsiang (Wang Wan-Jung), an older, solitary artist. Hsiang takes Ching to visit her friend Ji (Vicky Chiang), who lives on a peaceful rural farm with her husband.

Presented by SCREENSHOT: Asia, Jaded Collective, AQUARIUS, Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Office of Institutional Engagement and Wellbeing.

The event starts at 3:00 pm and tickets are free, though reservations are required. The Carnegie Museum of Art is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map), accessible by a number of city buses.

Music at Main: Album Listening Club – “KPop Demon Hunters” Movie Soundtrack, September 26 at Carnegie Library in Oakland.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Main Branch is hosting "Music at Main: Album Listening Club – “KPop Demon Hunters” Movie Soundtrack" on September 26.

It’s like a book club, but for music! This month’s album is the “KPop Demon Hunters” Movie Soundtrack. We’ll play some tracks, talk about its history and share what the album means to us. Held in the North Wing Music Room.

It runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm and is free and open to the public. The Main branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map), accessible by numerous city bus lines.

The Music of Studio Ghibli with Butler County Symphony Orchestra, October 3.

The Butler County Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Moon Doh will present "The Music of Studio Ghibli" on October 3.

Step into the imaginative worlds of Studio Ghibli through the unforgettable music of Joe Hisaishi, the composer behind My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and a remarkable run of Ghibli favorites across decades. Studio Ghibli’s official film pages credit Hisaishi on titles stretching from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky through My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Wind Rises, and The Boy and the Heron—a body of work that has helped define the emotional sound of the studio’s films. This program brings that music into the concert hall for an evening of wonder, nostalgia, tenderness, and adventure that will speak to longtime fans and first-time listeners alike.

Pre-Sale: Adults $39 Children/Students $20
At Door: Adults $45 Children/Students $25

All performances are held at the Butler Intermediate High School: 551 Fairground Hill Rd., Butler, PA, 16001

Contact the office at (724) 283-1402 to learn about discounts for groups of 10 or more. We also offer discounts for seniors, active or retired military, first responders, and educators.

The show runs from 7:30 to 9:30 pm and tickets are available online.

1998 Taiwanese drama-musical film The Hole (洞) in Pittsburgh, September 21 through 24.

The 1998 Taiwanese drama-musical film The Hole (洞) will play in Pittsburgh from September 21 through 24.

Set on the eve of the 21st century, Tsai Ming-liang’s fourth feature turns a crumbling Taipei apartment block into one of cinema’s strangest and most tender end-of-the-world romances. Perennial muse Lee Kang-sheng (“the man upstairs”) and Yang Kuei-mei (“the woman downstairs”) are among the building’s last holdouts, refusing evacuation as a mysterious epidemic spreads outside and rain batters the city without end. When a plumber leaves behind an unfinished repair, the man’s floor opens into an accidental passage between two sealed-off lives, turning leaks, trash, pesticide, and petty territorial warfare into a strange form of courtship. Among the most disarmingly funny and cathartic entries in Tsai’s filmography, The Hole finds hope in a world that seems to be falling apart, breaking its deadpan plague scenario open with splendorous Grace Chang musical numbers and poker-faced slapstick.

The film plays at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online.