More showtimes announced for 4K remaster of Japanese movie Akira (アキラ), in Pittsburgh from September 24.

More showtimes have been announced for the 4K remaster of the 1988 Japanese movie Akira (アキラ), which will play in Pittsburgh from September 24. Wikipedia provides a summary of the film:

Set in a dystopian 2019, Akira tells the story of Shōtarō Kaneda, a leader of a biker gang whose childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires incredible telekinetic abilities after a motorcycle accident, eventually threatening an entire military complex amidst chaos and rebellion in the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the manga, the plot differs considerably and does not include much of the last half of the manga. The soundtrack, which draws heavily from traditional Indonesian gamelan as well as Japanese noh music, was composed by Shōji Yamashiro and performed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi.

It is scheduled to play locally at the Cinemark in McCandless on the 24th and the Cinemark in Robinson from the 24th through 30th; tickets are available online.

"Make Tea, Not War: Tea and Conflict in Russia and Northeast Asia," October 1 (online) at Pitt.

by Flood G.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies will present a discussion and demonstration of Japanese green teas, "Make Tea, Not War: Tea and Conflict in Russia and Northeast Asia," on October 1.

Join the Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies and the Asian Studies Center for a demonstration and tasting of Japanese green teas. We will discuss tea in the context of regional conflicts, starting with the Russo-Japanese war, and guide the audience in the proper brewing techniques.

Registration for the 4:00 pm event is required. Pitt students have an opportunity to request a free sample from Squirrel Hill's Dobra Tea upon registration.

Chinese Language & Culture Club Meeting at Pitt, September 22.

Chinese Dim Sum, by Lezlie (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's Chinese Language & Culture Club will meet every other week this semester, with the next meeting onilne on September 22 at 8:00 pm.

Join the Chinese Language & Culture Club for their bi-weekly meetings. The club celebrates the Chinese culture, language, festivals, and traditions. This semester, we’ll celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, watch Chinese TV shows, learn about Pitt Chinese Programs, and learn how to make hot pot! etc.

A Zoom link should follow next week, but those interested may also contact Dr. Bei Cheng at beicheng at pitt.edu.

Three Japanese documentaries to be screened September 24 - 26 (online) at Pitt.

As part of the 2020 Pittsburgh Japan Documentary Film Award, the Japan Council of the University of Pittsburgh and SCREENSHOT: ASIA will screen three documentaries online later this month:

* Friday, September 24: Oyster Factory (牡蠣工場) at 6:30 pm followed by a conversation with the director, Soda Kazuhiro.
* Saturday, September 25: Book-Paper-Scissors (つつんで、ひらいて), the 2020 Honorable Mention, at 7:00 pm, followed by a conversation with director Nanako Hirose.
* Sunday, September 26: An Ant Strikes Back (アリ地獄天国), the 2020 Grand Prize winner, at 7:00 pm, followed by a conversation with director Tokachi Tsuchiya.

"Jasmine Cho’s Portraits in Icing: The Intersection of Representation, Race, and Cookies," online at Heinz History Center, September 24.

via @jasminemcho

The Heinz History Center will present "Jasmine Cho’s Portraits in Icing: The Intersection of Representation, Race, and Cookies" online on September 24.

While the Smithsonian’s Portraits of Pittsburgh exhibition is filled with a range of portrait styles, none are as unique as the portraits that Pittsburgh artist Jasmine Cho paints onto cookies. Join Jasmine for a portrait demonstration and conversation about her unique combination of cookie art and social justice. Explore how Jasmine uses cookies to initiate conversations on race, creating intricate portraits of important Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and giving representation to a historically underrepresented community.

Tickets for the discussion and demonstration are $5 and available online.

Online dance workshop for Seventeen's "Snap Shoot" with PITT FRESA, September 19.

PITT Fresh Entertainment by Student Artists (FRESA) is hosting an online dance workshop for Seventeen's "Snap Shoot" on September 19.

Fresitas, it's time for another online workshop! This week, our awesome Internal VP Cathy Si will be teaching Snap Shoot by Seventeen-- see you there!

The event is open to the University of Pittsburgh student community and the Zoom link for the 12:00 - 2:00 pm workshop is available on the event's page.

Pittsburgh-based StarKist hiring bilingual Korean-English or Chinese-English Associate, Seafood Procurement Specialist.

Pittsburgh-based StarKist, owned by Korean parent company Dongwon Industries, is hiring for a bilingual Korean-English or Chinese-English Associate, Seafood Procurement Specialist position.

PURPOSE -

• Under the direction of the Manager, Seafood Procurement, this position will help to plan and manage the purchase of raw seafood and seafood products to ensure that price, quality, quantity and delivery schedules contribute effectively to company profit and growth objectives.
• This position will be responsible for the coordinating of vessel schedules for unloading, sizing of fish to support daily plant activity and company objectives. Position will also manage communications between the plants and fish suppliers in regards to downgrades, rejects and all quality issues.

4K remaster of Japanese movie Akira (アキラ) in Pittsburgh, September 24.

A 4K remaster of the 1988 Japanese movie Akira (アキラ) will play in Pittsburgh on September 24. Wikipedia provides a summary of the film:

Set in a dystopian 2019, Akira tells the story of Shōtarō Kaneda, a leader of a biker gang whose childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires incredible telekinetic abilities after a motorcycle accident, eventually threatening an entire military complex amidst chaos and rebellion in the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the manga, the plot differs considerably and does not include much of the last half of the manga. The soundtrack, which draws heavily from traditional Indonesian gamelan as well as Japanese noh music, was composed by Shōji Yamashiro and performed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi.

It is scheduled to play locally at the Cinemark in McCandless and tickets are now available online.

Chinese movie Wild Grass (荞麦疯长) continues in Pittsburgh through (at least) September 23.

The 2020 Chinese movie Wild Grass (荞麦疯长), which opened in Pittsburgh on September 10, will continue here through at least September 23. Something of a synopsis, from the distributor:

In the 1990s, the two girls and a boy who first entered the society tested the incredible destiny they experienced in the pursuit of a new life. In the flourishing 1990s, they rose up with the dream and they survived.

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

"Becoming Taiwanese: Religion, Colonialism, and Ethnogenesis in 20th Century Taiwan" online at Pitt, October 2.

The University of Pittsburgh will host Dr. Evan Dawley and his talk "Becoming Taiwanese: Religion, Colonialism, and Ethnogenesis in 20th Century Taiwan" on October 2. A description of the book from whence the talk's name is drawn:

What does it mean to be Taiwanese? This question sits at the heart of Taiwan’s modern history and its place in the world. In contrast to the prevailing scholarly focus on Taiwan after 1987, Becoming Taiwanese examines the important first era in the history of Taiwanese identity construction during the early twentieth century, in the place that served as the crucible for the formation of new identities: the northern port city of Jilong (Keelung).

Part colonial urban social history, part exploration of the relationship between modern ethnicity and nationalism, Becoming Taiwanese offers new insights into ethnic identity formation. Evan Dawley examines how people from China’s southeastern coast became rooted in Taiwan; how the transfer to Japanese colonial rule established new contexts and relationships that promoted the formation of distinct urban, ethnic, and national identities; and how the so-called retrocession to China replicated earlier patterns and reinforced those same identities. Based on original research in Taiwan and Japan, and focused on the settings and practices of social organizations, religion, and social welfare, as well as the local elites who served as community gatekeepers, Becoming Taiwanese fundamentally challenges our understanding of what it means to be Taiwanese.

The 3:00 pm lecture is free and open to the public via Zoom.