"Plantations as Battlefields," November 11 (online) at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Michitake Aso and his talk "Plantations as Battlefields" on November 11.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, demand for consumer goods such as tires for bicycles and automobiles grew rapidly. In French Indochina, this demand led to the creation of vast plantations of hevea brasiliensis, a type of tree that produces late that can be used to produce rubber. These plantations did not disappear with the end of colonialism. In fact, they served as key battlefields during the American War in Vietnam, or the Vietnam War as it is known in the United States. Dr. Aso's talk explores the role of rubber plantations during this war and uses these iconic landscapes as a case study of how the environment shaped decolonization and Vietnamese nationalism.

It begins online from 12:00 pm. Registration is required and can be done here.

Filipino-American film Yellow Rose continues in Pittsburgh, through November 12.

The 2019 film Yellow Rose, which opened in Pittsburgh on October 8, will resume playing here through November 12. 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 now at the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill and tickets are available online.

Pitt's Korean Student Association hosts Jason Y. Lee (online), November 10.

The Korean Student Association at the University of Pittsburgh will host Jason Y. Lee for an online talk on November 10.

KSA is very excited to announce our speaker event! We are bringing in Jason Y. Lee, who is the CEO of Jubilee Media on YouTube. If you are familiar with video series such as Spectrum, Odd Man Out, or Middle Ground, that is all Jubilee Media! Jason will be talking about his experience of working in Wall Street to starting a media company. There will also be time at the end for Q&A! It will be a very rewarding and relevant event for all of us, so we hope to see you there!

Zoom Meeting Link: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/94772616288

Meeting ID: 947 7261 6288

The online event starts at 8:00 pm.

Selections from China, Japan, Korea part of 2020 Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival, November 11 through 22.

Selections from China, Japan, and Korea will help compriise the 2020 Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival, which runs online from November 11 through 22.

"Aida," a 10-minute film from the US and Japan.

A young mother is stuck between development and decay.

"Angel's Mirror," a 14-minute Chinese short film.

A group of young boys are fascinated by a girl who spends her days looking out the window.

Beethoven in Beijing, a 2020 documentary.

The often-tense relationship between the U.S. and China is seen through a different lens in Beethoven in Beijing. Targeted for elimination during the Communist Revolution, Western classical music had all but disappeared from China. But in 1973, Chinese interest in classical music was rekindled when President Nixon dispatched the Philadelphia Orchestra to help open the bamboo curtain. Co-directed by Duquesne University alumna and former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter, Jennifer Lin, the film gives a compelling, up-close look at how music can change hearts and minds–and history.

"Beyond Noh," a four-minute short from the US and Japan.

Masks from all over the world take us on a cultural journey through ritual, utility, deviance, and politics.

"Pangu," a six-minute short from the US and China.

A modern tale about parenthood and the differences between generations.

"Son of Memory," a 19-minute film from Japan.

What if you could bring back your loved one for 49 days?

"Tiger and Ox," a nine-minute short from South Korea.

What does divorce mean to women in a patriarchal Korean society?

Tickets are available for purchase for full-length films on their own, or for short films as part of blocks.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (卧虎藏龙) to play in Pittsburgh-area theaters for film's 20th anniversary, December 6 and 9.

The 2000 martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (卧虎藏龙) will play in Pittsburgh area theaters in December to mark its 20th anniversary. From the distributor:

Winner of 4 2000 Academy Awards®, including Best Cinematography. Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocrat (Zhang Ziyi) prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior ­fighting talents and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face to face with their worst enemy — and the inescapable, enduring power of love.

Set against 19th-century China’s breathtaking landscape, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the action-packed, box-of­fice smash from two-time Best Director Academy Award® winner Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, 2005; Life of Pi, 2012) and featuring stunning martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).

This special anniversary event includes an exclusive introduction from director Ang Lee.

It plays locally on December 6 and 9 at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

"Here and There: Anti-Racist Perspectives from Japan and Germany," November 16 (online) at Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Modern Languages presents "Here and There: Anti-Racist Perspectives from Japan and Germany" on November 16. It runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Japanese movies Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] 1 & 2 (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]) playing in Pittsburgh in double feature, November 14.

The Japanese animated movies Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] 1 & 2 (劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]) will play in Pittsburgh as a double feature on November 14. From the distributor:

Join fans across the country for an exclusive one-night double feature event featuring parts 1 and part 2 of the Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] trilogy. Don’t miss “I. presage flower” and “II. lost butterfly” as the films returns to the big screen before the final installment, “III. spring song,” arrives in theaters later in the month.

It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, and North Hills; tickets are available online.

2019 Chinese documentary Our Time Machine (时光机) now playing online via Tull Family Theater.

The 2019 Chinese documentary Our Time Machine (时光机) has begun to play online via the Tull Family Theater in Sewickley from November 6. A synopsis 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.

Ticket information is available online and 50% of proceeds will go to the Tull Family Theater.

Anime Night at the Drive-In with Lu Over The Wall (夜明け告げるルーのうた) and Promare (プロメア), November 8 at Carrie Furnace.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Screenshot Asia will present Anime Night at the Drive-In with two Japanese films, Lu Over The Wall (夜明け告げるルーのうた) and Promare (プロメア), November 8 at Carrie Furnace. Space is limited and advance registration is required. The evening also features a costume and car decorating contest.

Did you miss cosplaying at Tekko this year? Want to show off your spookiest Halloween costume one more time? Celebrate the evening by dressing up as your favorite characters or by decorating your vehicle! Post your photos on social media with the event hashtag (#AnimeNightPGH2020) for a chance to be featured on the big screen and to win some fun prizes! Prizes for costume contest include two badges to Tekko 2021. Prizes for car-decoration contest include a basket of swag from Screenshot:Asia & Tekko, and two badges to Tekko 2021.

The event starts at 5:00 pm and registration is required. The Carrie Blast Furnaces are located in Rankin, a few miles southeast of Pittsburgh (map).

Premiere of documentary The Revolution They Remember on Cultural Revolution, November 12 (online) at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh Library System presents the premiere of The Revolution They Remember, a Pittsburgh-made documentary on recollections of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, on November 12.

The Revolution They Remember presents the Chinese Cultural Revolution era of 1966-1976 via the memories of those who experienced it and have reflected on its legacies. In 2019, the University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS) received a one-year grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the creation of a feature-length documentary film titled The Revolution They Remember, a collaboration between the ULS East Asian Library (EAL) and Dartmouth Library. The Revolution They Remember is based on two video oral history projects: one by the EAL and the other by Dartmouth Library. Initiated by the EAL in 2015, The Cultural Revolution: 10 (CR/10) Project recorded, preserved, and published video interviews with Chinese citizens sharing their memories and impressions of China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. At Dartmouth Library, the Down to the Countryside Movement project includes interviews with former “Rusticated Youth,” young people who were relocated to China’s rural areas during the Cultural Revolution. The Revolution They Remember features selections from the interviews from these two projects, as well as images contributed by interview participants, archival footage and photos. The film also comprises commentary by scholars of modern Chinese history.

Screening followed by a Q&A session with the documentary team.

It runs from 7:00 to 9:30 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.