The Farewell, starring Awkwafina and Tzi Ma, in Pittsburgh on July 24 and from August 2 through August 8.

Tickets went on sale today for Pittsburgh screenings of The Farewell, which opens nationwide today.

In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration of both the way we perform family and the way we live it, masterfully interweaving a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront on July 24 and at the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill from August 2 through 8. Tickets are available online.

Pad Thai Noodle coming to N. Craig St. in Oakland.

Pad Thai Noodle will open a location at 256 N. Craig St. in Oakland (map), in the spot most recently occupied by Tan Lac Vien Express. Tan Lac Vien Express announced its closure on July 3 after four years in business; two other Vietnamese restaurants were previously in the spot.

GlobalPittsburgh happy hour with visitors from South Korea and China, August 1.

The next GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays happy hour on August 1 will welcome visiting English teachers from Korea National University of Education and students from China.

The 43 teachers of English from the Korea National University of Education will participate in the Intensive English Teacher Training Program, a 4-week program that is run through the English Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. The 28 students from China are coming for an experiential summer camp organized by Chatham University.

Meet globally-minded people from Pittsburgh and all over the world to make new friends and learn more about different cultures at our GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays monthly happy hour. Bring your friends, family, and colleagues or come alone - we are a very friendly group!

The happy hour runs from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at Roland's Seafood Grill in the Strip District (map). Tickets are required and prices range from free to $10.

Reading and conversation with author Gina Apostol, July 23.

City of Asylum will host author Gina Apostol for a free conversation and reading on July 23. A synopsis of her latest novel, Insurrecto:

Two women, a Filipino translator and an American filmmaker, go on a road trip in Duterte’s Philippines, collaborating and clashing in the writing of a film script about a massacre during the Philippine-American War. Chiara is working on a film about an incident in Balangiga, Samar, in 1901, when Filipino revolutionaries attacked an American garrison, and in retaliation American soldiers created “a howling wilderness” of the surrounding countryside. Magsalin reads Chiara’s film script and writes her own version. Insurrecto contains within its dramatic action two rival scripts from the filmmaker and the translator—one about a white photographer, the other about a Filipino schoolteacher.

The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm; it's free but online RSVP is required. The City of Asylum's Alphabet City venue is located at 40 N. West Ave. on the North Side (map).

Curry on Murray closes, replaced by Japanese fusion restaurant Yukiyama.

Last week a Japanese fusion place Yukiyama opened at 2121 Murray Ave. (map), in the spot formerly occupied by Curry on Murray. It has a limited menu at the moment, but expects a fuller one shortly.

Chinese calligraphy workshop downtown, August 3.

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

The downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host a Chinese calligraphy workshop on August 3.

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).

Kusama: Infinity screening at Mattress Factory, August 15.

The Mattress Factory, which hosts two permanent installations by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, will hold a screening of the documentary Kusama: Infinity on August 15.

Get to know the artist behind the polka dots. Join us for a special screening of Kusama: Infinity, a documentary that looks at the life and work of Mattress Factory artist Yayoi Kusama, the top-selling female artist in the world.

Along with the film, you can experience Infinity Dots, Mirrored Room and Repetitive Vision, two Kusama rooms that are part of the Mattress Factory’s permanent collection, and explore photos and items – think a polka dot chair! – from Kusama’s Mattress Factory installation in 1996.

Tickets are $20 for the general public and $15 for students and Mattress Factory members. The movie runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, and the museum is located at 500 Sampsonia Way in the North Side (map).

New Hong Kong movie The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords (掃毒2天地對決) in Pittsburgh, from July 12.

The new Hong Kong movie The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords (掃毒2天地對決), starring Andy Lau, will open in Pittsburgh on July 12.

A former triad member-turned-property tycoon (Andy Lau) offers a $100 million bounty to eliminate the number one drug dealer in Hong Kong (Louis Koo), who has recently upped his business by collaborating with Mexican drug lords. The bounty sets off a shootings frenzy and a battle of minds between the two titans.

The movie will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and 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.

Pittsburgh Pirates sign 17-year-old Taiwanese shortstop Cheng Tsung-Che / Zheng Zong-Zhe (鄭宗哲)

On July 9 the Pittsburgh Pirates signed 17-year-old Taiwanese shortstop Cheng Tsung-Che (鄭宗哲). The contract is reported to be around US $300,000. He is the 10th Taiwanese player to sign with Pittsburgh, and the first since 2014. (Initial reports were using a different Romanization system, which provided an alternate English spelling of his name.)

Host families needed for 45 visiting Japanese Pony-league baseball players in August.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania shares news of a group of visiting Pony-league baseball players from Japan and the need for host families in Pittsburgh during their August 5 - 10 stay. Those interested should contact the organizers at the bottom of the flyer.