Bong Joon-ho film Snowpiercer (설국열차) online at Pitt, part of Watch Party Wednesday series, September 16.

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The University of Pittsburgh's Office of International Services will present the 2013 Bong Joon-ho film Snowpiercer (설국열차) online on September 16, part of its Watch Party Wednesday series. An introduction, via a review from The Atlantic:

Snowpiercer is set after the onset of an ice age, triggered by humanity’s efforts to solve global warming, and set on a train that runs perpetually around the earth, doing one circuit per year, using some combo of a perpetual motion engine and recycled ice that it’s better not to think too hard about. The glorious advantage of setting the movie entirely on a train is that it’s so easy to make the class stratifications Bong wants to talk about clear. At the back of the train, conditions are grim; everyone’s got soot on their faces, people are missing limbs, they eat black jellied “protein bars” handed out by the military, and once in a while their kids get measured and snatched away for reasons unknown.

The 7:00 pm event is free and open to the Pitt community, though registration is required.

"Drinking Tea in Japan" with Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, online on September 2.

by Flood G.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present "Drinking Tea in Japan" on September 2, the final installment of its Late Summer Lecture Series.

Japanese tea drinking has been a part of Japanese culture and tradition for hundreds of years. The influence of Japanese tea has not only expanded across the globe, but it also developed into a practice with its own types of aesthetics. Join Katsuko Shellhammer for a presentation on the history and types of tea in Japan. We will also explore modern ways to drink tea and what snacks to pair with your tea time. Finally, follow along at home and learn how to make dorayaki pancakes!

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants before the event.

Registration and donation information for the 6:30 pm event is available online.

1998 Japanese film After Life (ワンダフルライフ) with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, September 2, part of three-part Hirokazu Koreeda series.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 1998 Japanese movie After Life (ワンダフルライフ) on September 2, the first in a three-part series of Hirokazu Koreeda films. Wikipedia provides a summary:

A small, mid-20th century social-service-style structure is a way station between life and death. Every Monday, a group of recently deceased people check-in: the social workers in the lodge ask them to go back over their life and choose one single memory to take into the afterlife. They are given just a couple of days to identify their happiest memory, after which the workers design, stage and film them. In this way, the souls will be able to re-experience this moment for eternity, forgetting the rest of their life.

Twenty-two souls of different ages and backgrounds arrive and are received by the counsellors, who explain them their situation. Lengthy interviews take place in the lodge, with each person having different perspectives of their lives, some being more reluctant in indicating a significant memory.

Registration for the free 7:00 pm event is required. The next two films in the series are 2004's Nobody Knows (誰も知らない) on October 14 with Dr. Charles Exley of the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures and 2018's Shoplifters (万引き家族).

BTS concert film Bring the Soul: The Movie 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.

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 opened nationally in China on August 21 and 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.

"Dance Like a K-pop Star" with Fanxy and Pitt Program Council, August 28.

The University of Pittsburgh's Program Council will host "Dance Like a K-pop Star" on August 28, though tickets are no longer available and sold out quickly.

Join the Pitt Program Council as we invite South Korean Dance Team Fanxy in an hour-long k-pop dance class! Students will feel like they're a part of BTS of Blackpink after learning dance routines and basic moves that are a huge part of making the iconic K-Pop stars shine, all from the comfort of their apartments or dorm rooms! Join us virtually via Zoom for a dancing experience like no other - no prior experience required. Students will be admitted from the Zoom waiting room starting at 9:45 pm, and no students will be admitted to the event after 10:05 pm. Tickets are available starting August 22, 2020 and will remain available for reservation until August 26, 2020.

Those interested in working with Fanxy can still book an online class through its website.

The Korean Peninsula and the U.S. Commitment to the Region, September 30 with World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will host "The Korean Peninsula and the U.S. Commitment to the Region" online on September 30.

Is North Korea the nation posing the greatest threat to the U.S.? Why do we need to pay attention to what’s happening in the Korean Peninsula? Amidst COVID-19 and its fallout, policymakers are confronted with newly emergent issues alongside pre-existing ones. As the pandemic spreads, US-North Korea talks remain stalled, inter-Korean relations persist as mostly one-sided, and North Korea has continued to test and refine its military capabilities as well as ratchet up its rhetoric, and COVID-19 has intensified a growing US-China strategic competition. From a decades-old military alliance to deep economic ties and a large and vibrant Korean-American community, the linkages between the United States and the Korean Peninsula remain as important as ever.

The Stimson Center and Stimson’s 38 North program, working with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, presents a dialogue to discuss the importance of the US commitment to the Korean Peninsula. Speakers include: (Ret.) Walter Sharp, former Commander, US Forces Korea (2008-2011) and former President of the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA), Jenny Town, Stimson Fellow & Deputy Director of Stimson’s 38 North, and moderated by Clint Work, Stimson Fellow & Security for a New Century & 38 North.

The talk runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm online and is free and open to the public. Registration can be completed online.

Online preview and panel discussion "Harbor from the Holocaust," on European Jews who fled to Shanghai in the 1930s, with WQED, September 3.

An online preview and panel discussion of the upcoming WQED feature "Harbor from the Holocaust" will take place on September 3 with the station's Jim Cunningham.

Be among the first to preview this documentary produced by WQED for PBS. It shares the story of nearly 20,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe during WWII to the port city of Shanghai. You'll hear their extraordinary recollections and unique relationship with their adopted city.

This preview will be followed by a panel discussion with Pittsburghers with ties to this poignant story. Rivaling all elements and in tragic contrast to those who could not escape, this is a Holocaust story of life.

The free event starts at 7:00 pm and those interested can register here.

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.