"New Voices from Japan: Engagement and Dialogue with Emerging Policy Experts from Japan," September 7 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host "Voices from Japan: Engagement and Dialogue with Emerging Policy Experts from Japan" on September 7. This annual panel discussion will bring the following scholars and topics to Pitt this year:

• Saya Kiba, "Japan's Engagement in Meeting Security Needs in Southeast Asia."
• Takemasa Sekine, "Japan's Leadership in International Trade Rule-Making."
• Akai Ohi, "'The Politics of Reform': A Guide to Understanding Contemporary Japanese Political Confrontation."

The talk starts at 12:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Parts 1 and 2 of Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden (曇天に笑う外伝) trilogy at Row House Cinema, August 31 and September 2.

The Row House Cinema will screen parts 1 and 2 of the Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden trilogy on August 31 and September 2. Anime News Network provides a synopsis:

The manga includes stories not told in the original manga, including some from the past and some from the future. The original manga's story takes place in the 11th year of the Meiji era, when the number of people in Japan who feel dissatisfaction toward the government are increasing due to the increasing speed of Westernization and the ban on samurai. In order to curb the increased rate of crime, the government opens a new prison. The three brothers of the Kumo family are entrusted with the duty of transporting these criminals to the new prison, but adventures await them on the way.

The trilogy's third installment opens in Japan on September 1. The movies will play for two shows only, and tickets are available online (August 31, September 2). The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) at Parkway Theater, from August 24.

The 2018 movie Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) will play at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from August 24. A June New York Times review writes:

An unwavering slow burn, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” goes down exactly as announced. Marlina, a young widow living in remote Indonesia, spills blood in a story that plays out in four discrete acts. Each of the titled acts telegraphs some impending event (“The Robbery,” “The Birth”) and is clearly meant to create a mild sense of anticipation, much like the movie’s own explanatory title. Mostly, these are self-aware art-film touches ornamenting a blunt rape-revenge story that leans heavily and sometimes effectively on its sweeping landscapes, aesthetic violence, nods to Sergio Leone and what comes across as an overt debt to Jia Zhang-ke’s “Touch of Sin.”

The movie plays on August 24 (7:00 pm and 9:00 pm), August 25 (5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm), August 28 (7:00 pm), August 29 (7:00 pm, 9:00 pm), and August 30 (7:00 pm). The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map). The movie will also play throughout Pittsburgh in September as part of the Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival.

Selections from September's Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival free for Pitt students, faculty, and staff.

The University of Pittsburgh's campus will host several screenings of next month's Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, and these selections will be free to those students, faculty, and staff with valid Pitt ID cards. These screenings include:

• Alifu the Prince/ss (阿莉芙; Taiwan, 2017) - September 28, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 8:30
• Dynamite Graffiti (素敵なダイナマイトスキャンダル; Japan, 2018) - September 29, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 9:00
• Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak; Indonesia+Malaysia+Thailand, 2018) - September 23, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 7:30
• Missing Johnny (強尼．凱克; Taiwan, 2017) - September 28, Alumni Hall at 7:30
• Mori, the Artist's Habitat (モリのいる場所; Japan, 2018) - September 23, Alumni Hall at 5:00 pm; September 29, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 3:00
• The Return (Denmark+South Korea, 2018) - September 23, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 5:30

Take advantage of free Chinese, Japanese, Korean classes in Pittsburgh this semester.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is an invaluable source of free and enriching programming for people of all ages. Most relevant to this site are the free Chinese, Japanese, and Korean courses at an increasing number of branches. The start of a new school year is an excellent time to revisit this list of free courses available for children, complete novices, high-beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced speakers.

SAP Ariba hiring for bilingual Mandarin-English Procurement Operations Specialist positions in Pittsburgh.

SAP Ariba, "the world’s business commerce network," is again hiring for overnight bilingual Mandarin-English Procurement Operations Specialist positions in Pittsburgh. The job posting, via a staffing agency:

Description:
Mandarin/English language skills Sun-TH 8PM-5 AM -18.27

Job Description Overview

The Procurement Operations Specialist is the face and voice of Company to our customers, building relationships in each interaction. Specialists help our customers maximize the benefits of Ariba solutions to facilitate a global exchange of goods and services in the world's largest business to business trading community. They use their expertise and collaborate with team members and customers across the globe to provide detailed solutions that exceed expectations.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, August 21.

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on August 21 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Pitt professor hiring bilingual Chinese-English research assistant.

A professor in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is looking to hire a bilingual Chinese-English Pitt student for a temporary research assistant position.

This is a temporary position. Research assistant is being sought to assist a research professor to transcribe and code audio recordings of English and Chinese speeches of students in educational setting. Must have native-like proficiency in both languages, good computing skills, and some experience or interest in language learning research. This temporary position involves working (on a computer, in a place of the assistant’s own convenience) for a total of 20 to 30 hours, which can span over 2 to 4 weeks.

Job Requirements
The ideal candidate should:
- Possess excellent typing skills and preferably some experience with audio transcription;
- Have native-like proficiency in both Chinese and English;
- Be responsible and interested in language research;
- Have access to a computer, the Internet, Pitt BOX, and can work independently in a place of his/her own convenience;
- Be able to meet the Principle Investigator (research professor) for a few times to discuss the project;
- Be able to completes the work (around 30 hours) in 2-4 weeks.

2018 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival schedule just released; includes films from China, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan.

Tickets went on sale today for the 2018 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, and this year's iteration includes films from. The festival runs from September 21 through September 30 at several theaters in the Pittsburgh areas, and films include:

• Alifu the Prince/ss (阿莉芙; Taiwan, 2017) - September 24, September 28
• Dynamite Graffiti (素敵なダイナマイトスキャンダル; Japan, 2018) - September 26, September 29 in Oakland, and September 29 downtown
• Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak; Indonesia+Malaysia+Thailand, 2018) - September 23, September 29
• Missing Johnny (強尼．凱克; Taiwan, 2017) - September 28, September 30
• Mori, the Artist's Habitat (モリのいる場所; Japan, 2018) - September 23, September 29
• Short Film Presentation: China
• Smaller and Smaller Circles (Philippines, 2017) - September 28, September 29
• The Return (Denmark+South Korea, 2018) - September 23, September 29
• Toys & Pets (阿唐奇遇; China, 2017) - September 29, September 30
• Wrath of Silence (暴裂无声; China, 2017) - September 25, September 30

Masaaki Yuasa's The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (夜は短し歩けよ乙女) in Pittsburgh, August 21 and 22.

Masaaki Yuasa's The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (夜は短し歩けよ乙女) will play in the Pittsburgh area on August 21 and 22. A summary from the distributor:

Acclaimed anime director Masaaki Yuasa, took a decade off directing feature animation only to return with two remarkable features in the same year – both selections in the festival, alongside his midnight classic Mind Game.

Night is Short, Walk on Girl takes place over the course of one strange night as a nameless young woman, known only as “the girl with black hair,” walks the streets of Kyoto and experiences a series of surreal encounters and odd characters, drinking middle-aged salarymen under the table, exploring an all-night used bookstore with a bird goblin, helping a guerilla theater company express their feelings… all the while unaware of the romantic longings of Senpai, a fellow student who has been creating increasingly fantastic and contrived reasons to run into her, in an effort to win her heart. The perfect “I guess it’s romantic?” comedy for the modern age, Night is Short is a celebration of the unconventional, confusing routes that love and life can take.

The movie will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Robinson, and tickets are available online. The movie will play in Japanese with English subtitles.