Reports say Pittsburgh Pirates are close to signing Zheng Zong-Zhe (鄭宗哲), a 17-year-old Taiwanese shortstop.

Via Liberty Times.

Multiple sources are reporting the Pittsburgh Pirates are close to signing Zheng Zong-Zhe (鄭宗哲), a 17-year-old Taiwanese shortstop.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly close to signing 17-year-old 鄭宗哲 (Zheng Zong-Zhe), a shortstop from Pu-Men high school. According to Liberty Sports, the deal said to be at least $300,000 USD.

With the 2019 CPBL Draft just around the corner, Zheng who is considered to be one of the top high school shortstop talents did not enter the draft. As per Liberty Sports, Zheng has shown great interest to go overseas, which make this deal extremely likely to happen.

Documentary on rescuing Asian elephants in Thailand, Love & Bananas, in East Liberty, August 12.

The 2018 documentary Love & Bananas will play at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty on August 12. A synopsis, from the film's official site:

Elephant rescues in Thailand are rare, unpredictable and often life threatening. After waiting 2.5 years, actor/director Ashley Bell and a team of elephant rescuers led by world renowned Asian elephant conservationist and TIME Magazine's Hero of Asia, Lek Chailert, embark on a daring mission 480 miles across Thailand to rescue Noi Na, a 70-year old partially blind trekking elephant and bring her to freedom.

African elephants are slaughtered for their ivory, but sadly the plight of the Asian Elephant has been completely overlooked even though they are the elephant we are most familiar with in zoos, circuses and elephant rides. L&B exposes the cruel secret that every Asian elephant has had to endure to become a service animal; a process knows as Pajan, aka The Crush Box. LOVE & BANANAS aims to ignite a new way of thinking about this species and shows what can be done to prevent the extinction of Asian elephants.

The movie runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm on the the 12th, in tandem with World Elephant Day. It is free and open to the public, but not recommended for children 12 and under. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Ghost Fleet, a documentary on present-day slave fishermen of Thailand, in Pittsburgh July 5 - 11.

The 2018 documentary Ghost Fleet will play in Pittsburgh from July 5 through 11. A synopsis, via the documentary's official site:

Ghost Fleet follows a small group of activists who risk their lives on remote Indonesian islands to find justice and freedom for the enslaved fishermen who feed the world’s insatiable appetite for seafood. Bangkok-based Patima Tungpuchayakul, a Thai abolitionist, has committed her life to helping these “lost” men return home. Facing illness, death threats, corruption, and complacency, Patima’s fearless determination for justice inspires her nation and the world.

And in a Hollywood Reporter review:

During the voyage, [the filmmakers] encounter a handful of escaped slaves from Thailand, Burma and Cambodia hiding out on remote islands far from home. They all have similar stories of how they were promised jobs and then wound up imprisoned at sea, working in sordid conditions where accidents could happen at any time — one man tells the gruesome tale of his friend getting decapitated by a fishing net — and where escape was the only viable option. But even if they did manage to get free, the men were often hunted down and thrown into illegal prisons run by the fishing corporation, which was in cahoots with local police.

It will play at the Harris Theater in the Cultural District (map), though tickets and showtimes are not yet available.

Japanese punk band Shonen Knife returning to Pittsburgh, October 5.

Japanese punk band Shonen Knife announced its 2019 tour dates today, and will return to Pittsburgh on October 5 for a show at Cattivo (map).

Since their pure DIY beginnings in 1981, Osaka, Japan’s Shonen Knife have been building a faithful following of music enthusiasts and the alternative rock elite. Their relentless journey secured the band’s place as one of the pioneer ambassadors of Japanese rock music and culture on the international stage.

The band features original members (and sisters) Naoko on Vocals and Guitar, Atsuko on Bass and Vocals and introduces their newest member, Risa, on Drums and Vocals.

2019 movie Sound! Euphonium: Oath's Finale (劇場版 響け！ユーフォニアム〜誓いのフィナーレ〜) in Pittsburgh, July 11 and 15.

The 2019 movie Sound! Euphonium: Oath's Finale (劇場版 響け！ユーフォニアム〜誓いのフィナーレ〜) will play in Pittsburgh on July 11 and 15. The distributor provides a summary:

From Kyoto Animation, the studio that brought you A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, and Violet Evergarden comes the long-awaited sequel in the Sound! Euphonium franchise, Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day.

While Liz and the Blue Bird explored the relationship of band mates Mizore and Nozomi and took on a radical new art style, Our Promise: A Brand New Day returns to Sound! Euphonium's familiar style and the story of franchise protagonist Kumiko Oumae, now in her second year of high school. Follow Kumiko as she takes on the role of mentor towards the incoming class of new band members. Series director Tatsuya Ishihara reprises his directorial role to create a film that is sure to delight diehard fans and newcomers alike.

This special event will feature an exclusive recap of Sound! Euphonium seasons 1 and 2 before the film so that fans – new and returning – can enjoy the film without missing a beat.

The first half of the story, in the form of the 2018 film Liz and the Blue Bird, did not play in Pittsburgh.

The July 11 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles and the July 15 shows are dubbed in English. The movie will play at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark Theaters in Monroeville and Robinson on July 11, and at Monroeville and Robinson on the 15th. Tickets are available online.

Oakland's T-Swirl Crepe opening June 27.

T-Swirl Crepe, a chain serving Japanese-style crepes, will open its new Oakland location on Thursday, June 27. It will be located in Schenley Plaza, in a kiosk most recently occupied by Waffallonia. The chain, which opened its first Pittsburgh location in Squirrel Hill in 2017, describes itself like this:

The story of T-swirl Crepe starts thousands of miles away on the shores of Japan. The Japanese Crepe borrows from a western concept and modernized it into new level of versatility that you can gobble on the go. Building on this new concept, T-swirl started to research and have perfected the 100% gluten free rice flour batter, to craft a crispy thin chewy layer that embraces all the decadent condiments. T-swirl is synonymous with using the finest ingredients to construct a trendy/artistic crepe that arrives to your hand with incredible speed. We have standardized the process to give you a consistently clean and delicious crepe.

1995 Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば) in Pittsburgh, July 1 and 2.

The 1995 Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば) will play in Pittsburgh on July 1 and 2 as part of the 2019 GKIDS Ghibli Fest. The distributor provides a synopsis:

Discover the brilliance of this heartwarming coming-of-age classic from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of My Neighbor Totoro and the Academy Award®-winning Spirited Away.

A chance encounter with a mysterious cat sends Shizuku, a quiet schoolgirl, on a quest for her true talent. Together with Seiji, a boy determined to follow his dreams, and enchanted by The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers of her heart, Shizuku embarks on a life-changing adventure that takes her beyond the boundaries of her imagination. This beautiful tale based on a screenplay from Hayao Miyazaki will delight and amaze audiences of all ages!

The movie will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. The July 1 shows are dubbed in English and the July 2 ones are in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets are available online.

2018 Chinese film Long Day's Journey Into the Night (地球最后的夜晚) continues in Pittsburgh through July 4.

The 2018 Chinese film Long Day's Journey Into the Night (地球最后的夜晚), which opened in Pittsburgh on June 21, will continue through July 4. An April Atlantic review calls it "a gorgeous and impossible puzzle of a movie that could become a cult hit when it arrives in the United States."

The plot of Long Day’s Journey, which has nothing to do with the Eugene O’Neill play of the same name, centers on three characters: Luo (played by Huang Jue), a man haunted by his time as a youth in 2000; Luo’s long-lost lover, Wan Qiwen (Tang Wei); and a childhood pal named Wildcat, who was murdered. Roughly 20 years after Wildcat’s death, Luo tries to find Qiwen again and dig into the mystery of what happened between them decades prior. But any simple explanation for what’s going on is never offered. As Long Day’s Journey progresses, its meaning becomes more elusive, and its narrative strands stubbornly refuse to tie together.

The movie plays at the Regent Square Theater at 1035 South Braddock Ave. (map). Tickets are available online.

We Are Here: Asian Pacific Islander American Artists in Pittsburgh at Cultural District Gallery Crawl, July 12.

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council will host Art on the Walls Reception - We Are Here: Asian Pacific Islander American Artists in Pittsburgh from July 12. It will open as part of that evening's Gallery Crawl through the Cultural District and will remain on display through December.

Event Details
As part of Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council's exhibition series, Art on the Walls, "We Are Here: Asian Pacific Islander American Artists in Pittsburgh" features art by April Brust, Wen Gao, Pralhad Gurung, Eriko Hattori, Sesame Kim, Huei-Hsuan Sun, Estelle Tian,Patty Tran, Marieke Van Der Maelen, Grace Wong, and Ariel Xiu. The exhibition is available on display in GPAC's Big Room from July through December 2019. You can view the exhibition during July's Gallery Crawl on Friday, July 12.

About the Exhibition:
Although Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIA) have been present in Pittsburgh since the 1870s and represent an ever-growing community in the city and in the country at-large, APIA’s continue to struggle for representation. This exhibition aims to provide visibility for this community: for the first time in Pittsburgh’s history, every exhibiting artist in "We Are Here" identifies as APIA. While some of these artists create work directly informed by their race, family backgrounds, and socio-political history, all possess an identity created in the context of omission and discrimination.

By giving a physical space for viewers to look at and engage with these artists’ work, we hope to set a precedent for the local art scene, educate the larger public, develop dialogue, and voice that "We Are Here," we have been here, and we will continue to create.

The event is free but online RSVP is required. It runs from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on the 12th in the GPAC Big Room on the 7th floor of 810 Penn Ave. (map).

Blackpink's "Kill This Love" at this weekend's K-pop Class, June 28.

The weekly K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy will do Blackpink's "Kill This Love" for its sixth meeting on June 28. The class is held each Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, and the cost is $18 for a drop-in session. Yanlai Dance Academy is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd. in the North Hills (map).