Wednesday, October 7, 2020

2004 Japanese film 2004's Nobody Knows (誰も知らない) with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, October 14.



The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 2004 Japanese film 2004's Nobody Knows (誰も知らない) on October 14, the second of a three-part series of Hirokazu Koreeda films. A brief introduction, from a 2005 Roger Ebert review:
As "Nobody Knows" opens, we watch a mother and two kids moving into a new apartment. They wrestle some heavy suitcases up the stairs. When the movers have left, they open the suitcases and release two younger children, who are a secret from the landlord. "Remember the new rules," the mother says. "No going outside. Not even on the veranda -- except for Kyoko, to do the laundry."
The film will be presented with comments from Dr. Charles Exley of Pitt's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures. Registration for the free 7:00 pm event is required.

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Chinese 3D computer-animated film Legend of Deification (姜子牙) continues in Pittsburgh through (at least) October 14.


The Chinese 3D computer-animated film Legend of Deification (姜子牙), also known as Jiang Ziya, which opened in Pittsburgh on October 1, will continue here through at least October 14. From the distributor:
To earn his place amongst the gods, celestial army commander Jiang Ziya must vanquish a terrifying fox demon threatening the very existence of the mortal realm. After learning the creature’s fate is tied to that of a young girl, Jiang Ziya disobeys Heaven’s edict and spares the demon, resulting in his banishment to the mortal realm. Ten years later, he is given one more chance to complete the task, and Jiang Ziya must decide: is joining the ranks of the heavens worth the price of one innocent life?

JIANG ZIYA—follow-up to international blockbuster NE ZHA and second chapter in the Fengshen Cinematic Universe—is a fate-defying, action-packed legendary tale retold through vibrant Chinese animation.
The first movie, Ne Zha, played in Pittsburgh last year. Legend of Diefication plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

BTS concert film Break the Silence (브레이크 더 사일런스: 더 무비) continues in Pittsburgh through (at least) October 14.



The BTS concert film Break the Silence (브레이크 더 사일런스: 더 무비), which opened in Pittsburgh on September 24, will stay here through at least October 14.
BTS WORLD TOUR 'LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF' is now over. The worldwide stadium tour topped the Billboard Boxscore, and marked BTS as the first Korean group to perform at Wembley Stadium. The tour took place across Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, São Paulo, London, Paris, Osaka, Shizuoka, Riyadh, and Seoul.

With unprecedented access, BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE travels with BTS throughout the tour, exploring each band member behind the curtain. Off stage, we see another side of BTS. The seven members begin to candidly tell personal stories they have never voiced before.

Facing my other self ‘PERSONA’
It will continue to 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.

"Art, Identity, and Activism with Jasmine Cho: An Interactive Cookie Art Workshop," November 5 at Pitt.



The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Global Hub will host Jasmine Cho and her presentation "Art, Identity, and Activism with Jasmine Cho: An Interactive Cookie Art Workshop" on November 5 as part of International Week.
The Pitt Global Hub and Asian Studies Center present Art, Identity, and Activism with Jasmine Cho: An Interactive Cookie Art Workshop as part of International Week 2020. Join us for an interactive cookie art workshop with Jasmine Cho as she speaks on topics of identity and activism. This event is free and open to the Pitt community – families are encouraged! The first 25 registrants will receive a FREE cookie kit complete with two blank sugar cookies as well as all the tools you’ll need to decorate along with Jasmine. All registrants will receive an ingredient list and recipe ahead of time.

Jasmine Cho is a Pittsburgh-based artist, author, and cookie activist most known for using portrait cookies to elevate representation for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders. She is also a Food Network Champion (“Christmas Cookie Challenge” Season 3, Episode 8) and the Founder of Yummyholic. Her cookie activism has been featured internationally on various media outlets that include NPR, HuffPost, CBS This Morning, and The Korea Daily. In 2019, Jasmine gave a TEDx talk on her work that immediately went viral and has since reached over 47K views. Jasmine has received numerous accolades including CREATOR of the Year by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Small Business Community Champion Award by Citizens Bank, and was also awarded a Mayor’s Proclamation declaring Jan. 28th, 2020 as “Jasmine Cho Day” by the City of Pittsburgh. Expanding to traditional fine art while pursuing art therapy studies, Jasmine wrote, illustrated, and published her first children’s book, Role Models Who Look Like Me: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Made History. You can see more of her work at jasminemcho.com.
The 6:30 pm event is free but registration is required.

"In Conversation Online: An-My Lê, Monique Truong, and Hannah Turpin," October 28 with Carnegie Museum of Art.

Untitled, Sapa, 1995, via anmyle.com

The Carnegie Museum of Art will present "In Conversation Online: An-My Lê, Monique Truong, and Hannah Turpin" on October 28, part of the exhibition An-My Lê On Contested Terrain running through January 18, 2021.

"Making Indigeneity in 20th Century Japan" at Pitt, October 22.

via Ryukyu Shimpo.

The University of Pittsburgh's World History Center will host Vicky Shen and her talk "Making Indigeneity in 20th Century Japan" on October 22.
Vicky Shen, a Ph.D. student in history at the University of Pittsburgh, will lead a conversation on the usefulness and challenges of engaging with indigeneity as a global concept. She will share her research on Okinawa, which examines the World Uchinanchu Festival and the cultural politics behind the construction of a transnational indigenous identity by the local government in the 1980s and 1990s.
This is part of a series titled "Global Indigeneities: Parallels and Intersections in the Global Fight for Reparations and Teaty Rights."
The event runs from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on Zoom and is free and open to the public.

2019 documentary Queer Japan (クィア・ジャパン) part of (online) Reel Q: Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival, October 12.


The 2019 documentary Queer Japan (クィア・ジャパン) will play online on October 12 as part of the Reel Q: Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Queer Japan is an ensemble film that profiles a range of artists, academics, community organizers, and activists who are members of the LGBTQcommunity in Japan. Kolbeins has described the film as "a series of character studies," rather than an issue-focused documentary.
The film will be available online on the 12th and viewers will have 24 hours to complete it.

Monday, October 5, 2020

Chinese logistics/shipping company WorldCPS (天马物流集团) to open in Squirrel Hill.

Signage recently went up for a branch of a Chinese logistics / shipping company WorldCPS (天马物流集团) in Squirrel Hill. It will be located at 2208 Murray Ave. (map), near the intersection with Phillips Ave.

A few similar Chinese companies have opened and closed in Squirrel Hill over the past few years as the number of Chinese residents has increased: STO Express from January 2016 through July 2017; KS Express a few doors down in November 2016 through early 2020; Kuapai (快派) from November 2019 to present.

Filipino-American film Yellow Rose in Pittsburgh, from October 8.


The 2019 film Yellow Rose will play in Pittsburgh from October 8. From the movie's official site:
Rose, an undocumented Filipino girl, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas.
It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

Teppan BBQ (板川名府) coming soon to Squirrel Hill in old Ka Mei spot.


Signage recently went up for Teppan BBQ (板川名府), coming soon to 2209 Murray Ave (map) in Squirrel Hill. It is going in the spot most recently occupied by Ka Mei, which closed in August.

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