Japanese film Mirai (未来のミライ) in Pittsburgh for one more day, December 8.

Tickets for the new Japanese animated film Mirai (未来のミライ), which opened in Pittsburgh on November 29, will continue locally on December 8. A synopsis, from the distributor:

From acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children) and Japan’s Studio Chizu comes MIRAI, a daringly original story of love passed down through generations. When four-year-old Kun meets his new baby sister, his world is turned upside down. Named Mirai (meaning “future”), the baby quickly wins the hearts of Kun’s entire family. As his mother returns to work, and his father struggles to run the household, Kun becomes increasingly jealous of baby Mirai... until one day he storms off into the garden, where he encounters strange guests from the past and future – including his sister Mirai, as a teenager. Together, Kun and teenage Mirai go on a journey through time and space, uncovering their family’s incredible story. But why did Mirai come from the future?

An official selection at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, and the epic capstone of director Mamoru Hosoda’s career, Mirai is a sumptuous, magical, and emotionally soaring adventure about the ties that bring families together and make us who we are.

It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Cinemark Theaters in Monroeville and Robinson, the Regal Crown Center Stadium theater in Washington, and the AMC Classic Westmoreland in Greensburg. This day's screenings will be dubbed in English. Tickets are now available online.

Pitt's Institute for International Studies in Education hiring Mandarin-speaking Program Coordinator.

The University of Pittsburgh's Institute for International Studies in Education is hiring a Mandarin-speaking Program Coordinator for a student employee position.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for International Studies in Education (IISE) is seeking a Program Coordinator. We’re looking for people who are detail-oriented, experienced in working with international people and in administrative procedure of Pitt, well-organized, and flexible, cross-culturally competent. Job duties will involve in communicating, supporting and processing paperwork for visiting scholars.

Some interest and experience in administrative area at Pitt, nationally and internationally. Mandarin speaker preferred.

Chinese movie A Cool Fish (无名之辈) remains in Pittsburgh through December 12.

The new Chinese movie A Cool Fish (无名之辈), which opened in Pittsburgh on November 30, will continue to play at AMC Loews in the Waterfront through at least December 12. The movie, which premiered in China on November 16, was its number one film the the last two weekends. The distributor summarizes:

A low-end robber, a roguish security guard, a potty-mouthed but disable hellcat, and a group of nobodies, their life paths start intersecting one day because of a lost gun and a heist, which leads to a series of comical accidents.

Tickets are available online via Fandango. 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.

Organization of Chinese Americans Holiday Luncheon, December 8 in Monroeville.

The Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans will hold its Holiday Luncheon on December 8 at the Fortune Star Buffet & Grill in Monroeville (map). The guest speaker is Melissa McCart of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Our Annual General Meeting and Holiday Luncheon will be held this Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 12:00pm-3:00pm at Fortune Star Buffet and Grill! Unwind from the busy holiday season and catch up with family and friends. The luncheon is open to everyone, not just members, so invite all you know! Please register online, then pay by cash or check at our luncheon. Registration is recommended so we can get a proper head count, but walk-ins are welcome. You will also have a chance to order tickets to our Lunar New Year Banquet on February 2, 2019 at Heinz History Center, so take advantage of early bird pricing!

Our guest speaker this year is Melissa McCart. She is a restaurant reporter and critic for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; She has also worked at Newsday on Long Island and as editor of Eater NY in Manhattan, and writes nationally for Saveur, The Washington Post, and other publications. She has recently been awarded a Pulitzer Center grant to report on how changes in immigration laws affect one Pittsburgh Chinese restaurant. You can reach her on Twitter @Melissa McCart on Instagram @melissamccart and at the PG: mmccart@post-gazette.com

The luncheon runs from 12:00 to 3:00 pm and is open to members and non-members alike, though registration is required.

Chinese calligraphy workshop downtown, December 8.

"Chinese calligrapher," by David Boté Estrada (Creative Commons).

The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese calligraphy workshop on December 8.

A Chinese calligraphy expert will show us pictures of her home in China, give background on the art of calligraphy, and lead a Chinese calligraphy workshop for all ages! No registration is necessary for these sessions. Seating for all workshops is available to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll want to come early to be sure you MAKE it on time.

The event runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The Downtown & Business branch is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

"Characters and Words in Learning and Teaching Chinese," December 7 at Pitt.

Dr. Lin Chen of the University of Pittsburgh's Learning and Research Development Center will present "Characters and Words in Learning and Teaching Chinese" on December 7.

Writing systems, the ways that orthography maps to phonology and semantics, influence word reading. In written Chinese, the character is a basic writing unit maps onto a single syllable morpheme. The morphosyllabic nature of Chinese writing system brings some challenges to Chinese learning and Chinese teaching. In this talk, I will present several empirical studies of Chinese word reading for adult Chinese learners and discuss the roles of characters and words in learning Chinese and the implications for teaching Chinese.

Dr. Lin Chen is a Research Associate at Learning Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh. She earned her PhD in Psychology and worked as a post-doc in Applied Linguistic for two years. She was an associate professor at Sun Yat-sen, China before she moved to US. Her research focuses on universal and language-specific reading procedures across writing systems, and the writing system constraints on second language acquisition and teaching instruction.

The talk starts at 12:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Navigating the Intergener(ASIAN)al Gap, December 5 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Students Alliance will host "Navigating the Intergener(ASIAN)al Gap" on December 5.

Asian Americans tend to face many social and cultural differences between their relatives, especially when going home for the holidays. Within immigrant families, the differences between Eastern and Western culture in conjugation with a generational gap can lead to unpredictable results.

Join us as we explore the similarities and differences between the generations of Asian American families, We hope to see you all there!

It runs from 9:00 to 10:00 pm in 107 Lawrence Hall (map).

Documentary Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki (終わらない人 宮崎駿) in Pittsburgh area, December 13 and 18.

The 2016 documentary, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, will play locally at the Cinemark theater in Robinson on December 13 and 18 as part of its US premiere. A summary from the distributor:

In 2013, Academy Award®-winning film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki suddenly announced his retirement at the age of 72. But he can’t shake his burning desire to create. After an encounter with young CGI animators, Miyazaki embarks on a new project to utilize CGI for the first time ever. But the artist, who has been adamant about hand-drawn animation, confronts many challenges that threaten to cancel the film. Can an old master who thinks he’s past his prime shine once again? This program goes behind the scenes over two years as Miyazaki overcomes struggles to create his short film Boro the Caterpillar using CGI.

The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters at Row House Cinema, from December 7.

The Row House Cinema will show the 1985 American biographical film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters from December 7 through 13. From the home video distributor:

Paul Schrader’s visually stunning, collagelike portrait of the acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yukio Mishima (played by Ken Ogata) investigates the inner turmoil and contradictions of a man who attempted the impossible task of finding harmony among self, art, and society. Taking place on the last day of Mishima’s life, when he famously committed public seppuku, the film is punctuated by extended flashbacks to the writer’s past as well as gloriously stylized evocations of his fictional works. With its rich cinematography by John Bailey, exquisite sets and costumes by Eiko Ishioka, and unforgettable, highly influential score by Philip Glass, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a tribute to its subject and a bold, investigative work of art in its own right.

Tickets and showtime information is available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

"Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono," December 4 at Pitt.

"Vivid kimono" by Raita Futo (Creative Commons).

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Evan Mason and his workshop "Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono" on December 4.

Through this interactive workshop, learn about the intricate art of dressing in kimono with expert and Pitt alumnus Evan Mason. The workshop will begin with a lecture on the culture and history of the kimono in Japan followed by a demonstration of kitsuke and an opportunity for participants to dress in yukata and try out their new skills!

It runs from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).