An Ant Strikes Back (アリ地獄天国) wins second biennial University of Pittsburgh Japan Documentary Film Award.

The 2019 Tokachi Tsuchiya documentary An Ant Strikes Back (アリ地獄天国) has won the second biennial University of Pittsburgh Japan Documentary Film Award, it was announced on the 14th. A synopsis, from Nippon Connection:

More than 5,000 people died from the ramifications of overworking in Japan between 2006 and 2017 – and this is only the official number. Rarely do Japanese employees stand up against exploitative working conditions, since the social pressure is too high. In his documentary, Tokachi TSUCHIYA follows the case of a moving company sales agent who decides to no longer accept illegal employment contract clauses and a humiliating work environment. Initially being just like an ant among others, he joins a labor union and fights not only for his own rights, but for the rights of all “ants” in Japan’s workforce.

The Nanako Hirose film Book-Paper-Scissors (つつんで、ひらいて) claimed Honorable Mention. A ceremony was planned prior to COVID-19 shutdowns, though it remains to be seen what events will celebrate the 2020 award.

RAND Corporation hiring Survey Coordinator, proficiency in Chinese preferred.

RAND Corporation is hiring a Survey Coordinator, with a preference for those proficient in Chinese or Spanish.

The Survey Research Group (SRG) has an opening for an entry level Survey Coordinator. The main responsibilities of an entry level Survey Coordinator are assisting senior staff with management of data collection on topics related to public policy.

Duties

* Assist with review of data before delivery and/or verification of contents of project-specific sample management system.
* Participate in project meetings to take notes, give updates on work in progress, develop specifications or procedures and/or participate in problem solving.
* Assist with instrument development and testing. Instrument testing includes a range of tasks from recruiting participants for interviews or focus groups to conducting test interviews.
* Oversee data collection staff and assist with quality assurance and/or validation procedures.
* Conduct scans of the literature or formal literature reviews
* Assist with training, recruitment and oversight of data collectors.
* Assist in the development of training materials, agendas, and schedules.
* Participate in data collector training and assist with evaluation and training feedback.
* Assure adherence to corporate, group and project-specific procedures for safeguarding data and personally identifiable information.
* Other duties as assigned.

More information and application instructions are available on the company website.

Crazy Rich Asians free at drive-in theater in South Park, August 28.

The movie Crazy Rich Asians will play outdoors in South Park on August 28 as part of the county's "Drive-In Date Night" series of films that are free and open to the public. (This is two weeks later than originally announced by the county.) A summary of the film, from the distributor:

"Crazy Rich Asians” follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.

Gates open at 7:00 pm and the movie starts at dusk. Spaces are first-come first-served, and the gates will close once the parking lots are full.

New Chinese film The Eight Hundred (八佰) in Pittsburgh, from August 28.

The new Chinese film The Eight Hundred (八佰) will play in Pittsburgh from August 28. From the distributor:

The film is based on true stories taking place during Sino-Japanese war in Shanghai, China, in 1937, the battle and protection of the Si Hang Warehouse. There are around 400 soldiers (so called Eight Hundred Heroes in history), holding out against numerous waves of Japanese forces for 4 days and 4 nights…….

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

BTS concert film Bring the Soul: The Movie back in Pittsburgh, from August 28.

The 2019 BTS concert movie Bring the Soul will play in Pittsburgh from August 28.

On the day following the final concert of their Europe tour, on a rooftop in Paris, BTS tells their very own stories from experiencing new cities to performing in front of thousands of ARMY across the globe. A glimpse into BTS’ world away from the stage, featuring intimate group discussions alongside spectacular concert performances from the tour, this is a cinema event not to be missed.

It enjoyed a lengthy run in local theaters last year. It will play in Pittsburgh at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

"Sake: Beyond the Basics" online with Japan America Society of Pennsylvania, August 26.

by Masayuki Igawa

The Japan America Society of Pennsylvania will host "Sake: Beyond the Basics," a virtual tasting and discussion, on August 26.

Dive into the world of sake with this lecture and go beyond the basic distinction of junmai and honjozo. Deb Mortillaro, certified sake sommelier, will guide us through how five elements - the rice, the region, the water, the yeast, and the brewer - combine to create unique flavors, even within the same grade of sake. We will learn how those elements are reflected in the labels so you can become a more confident sake connoisseur. This class is a practical tasting, covering Ishioka, Mighty Peak Tokubetsu Junmai;Housui, Fragrant Water Tokubetsu Junmai; Echigo Ikarashi-Gawa, Blue River Ginjo; and Hakuyou, White Sun Junmai Ginjo. For Pittsburgh-area participants, order & pick up your sake directly from Dreadnought Wines at 412-391-1709 ($64 for four 300ml bottles, optional).

Those interested in the 6:30 pm session can register and pay the suggested donation online.

Fantuan Delivery arrives in Pittsburgh with service to Chinese restaurants and groceries coming soon.

Several Pittsburgh-area Chinese restaurants and groceries have begun to display signs for Fantuan Delivery, a Canada-based delivery service that specializes in Chinese restaurants and groceries. PennsylvAsia noted in July the increase of local job postings for Fantuan and Chowbus, a similar third-party delivery service that covers Asian restaurants.

Susan Choi talk with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, online on September 14.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will host author Susan Choi online on September 14 as part of this year's Ten Evenings series.

The author of five novels, Susan Choi won the 2019 National Book Award for Trust Exercise, an ingenious meditation on fiction and truth, friendships and loyalties, the capacities of adolescents, and the powers of adults.

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school’s walls — until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down.

Choi’s first novel, The Foreign Student, won the Asian American Literary Award for fiction. Her second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a film. A Person of Interest was a finalist for the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award. In 2010, Choi was named the inaugural recipient of the PEN/W. G. Sebald Award. Her fourth novel, My Education, received a 2014 Lammy Award.

Tickets for the 7:30 pm event are now available: $10 for students and $15 for the general public.

2019 Chinese documentary Our Time Machine (时光机) online via Carnegie Science Center's Rangos Giant Cinema, from September 11.

The 2019 Chinese documentary Our Time Machine (时光机) will be available online via Carnegie Science Center's Rangos Giant Cinema from September 11. The film played in Pittsburgh last fall as part of the Three Rivers Film Festival. From the film's official site:

Shaken by the news of his father’s dementia, artist Maleonn creates “Papa’s Time Machine,” a wondrous time-travel adventure performed on stage with life-size mechanical puppets. Through the play’s production, he confronts his own mortality. Maleonn finds grace and unexpected joy in this moving meditation on art, the agonies of love and loss, and the circle of life.

Pitt's Daehwa Korean Conversation Club (한국어 대화 동아리) to resume online, from September 4.

The University of Pittsburgh's Daehwa Korean Conversation Club will hold its meetings and activities online for the fall 2020 semester. THe first meeting of the term is September 4.