1997 film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) in Pittsburgh, April 3, 4, and 6.

The 1997 film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) will play in Pittsburgh on April 3, 4, and 6 as part of the 2022 Studio Ghibli Fest from GKIDS. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there.

It plays locally at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, Monroeville, and Robinson. The April 3 and 6 shows are dubbed in English while the April 4 show is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Korea's "Doodle POP!" to perform at Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival in May.

"Doodle POP!" from South Korea's BRUSH Theater will perform at Pittsburgh's Children's Theater Festival on May 14 and 15.

The mischievous Doodle POP! duo invites you into the delightful doodling world!

Join as they experience an exciting adventure in an ocean world they imagine and create on stage. What will happen to them in this beautiful but strange watery world? Will they be able to return a turtle doodle to the sea safely?

With live sound effects, animation, and theatrical imagination, this is a touching and exciting show for anyone ages 3+. This show is mostly visual and is played with limited words. The theater will be darkened at times during the show.

Age Recommendations: Best for ages 3-7
This Show Features: Music, Acting, Movement, Audience Participation, Science, Projection, Animation, Puppetry, Communication Skills, Teamwork

The duo was scheduled to perform here in 2020 but the festival was cancelled.

2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0) to remain in Pittsburgh through (at least) March 31.

The 2021 animated Japanese film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (劇場版 呪術廻戦 0), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 17, will remain here through at least March 31. From the distributor:

When they were children, Rika Orimoto was killed in a traffic accident right before the eyes of her close friend, Yuta Okkotsu. "It's a promise. When we both grow up, we'll get married." Rika became an apparition, and Yuta longed for his own death after suffering under her curse, but the greatest Jujutsu sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, welcomed him into Jujutsu High. There Yuta meets his classmates, Maki Zen'in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, and finally finds his own determination. "I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive! While I'm at Jujutsu High, I'll break Rika-chan's curse." Meanwhile, the vile curse user, Suguru Geto, who was expelled from the school for massacring ordinary people, appears before Yuta and the others. "This coming December 24th, we shall carry out the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." While Geto advocates for creating a paradise for only jujutsu sorcerers, he unleashes a thousand curses upon Shinjuku and Kyoto to exterminate all non-sorcerers. Will Yuta be able to stop Geto in the end? And what will happen when breaking Rika's curse...?

It is currently playing at the Waterworks Cinema, Cranberry Cinema, AMC Loews Waterfront, and Cinemark theaters on Monroeville and Monaca, and from the 25th will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, Cranberry Cinema, Hollywood Theater, and Moraine Point Cinemas, tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) remains in Pittsburgh, March 24, 25, 28.

After its month-long run at the Harris Theater earlier this year and its return to Pittsburgh-area theaters earlier in March, the acclaimed 2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) will remain in Pittsburgh on March 24, 25, and 28. A brief synospis from a December 7 NPR review:

The story follows a middle-aged Tokyo stage actor named Kafuku, superbly played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. He's a calm, mild-mannered guy who's been married for two decades to a screenwriter named Oto. We get a sense of their mutual devotion when we see Kafuku driving around in his bright red Saab, rehearsing his lines by listening to audio tapes that Oto has painstakingly recorded for him.

But their relationship is more complicated than it appears. Years ago, Kafuku and Oto experienced an agonizing loss that has led her to find solace — and perhaps something more — in relationships with other men. Kafuku has deep compassion for his wife, which doesn't make her betrayal any less painful. And then another tragedy strikes when Oto dies suddenly.

It is scheduled to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and Cinemark theaters in Robinson on March 24, and the AMC Loews Waterfront on March 25 and 28. The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.

Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers, March 27 at Spirit Lounge.

The Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers will perform in Pittsburgh on March 27.

Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. What distinguishes this gifted trio from earlier generations of Tuvan throat singers is the subtle infusion of modern influences into their traditional music. One can find complex harmonies, western instruments, and contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, but its overall sound and spirit remain decidedly Tuvan.

Tickets for the show at Spirit in Lawrenceville (map) are now available online.

Pittsburgh's Historic Chinatown public celebration, April 16.

OCA Pittsburgh will host its public celebration of Pittsburgh's Historic Chinatown on April 16.

For mroe than 120 years the Chinese have called Pittsburgh ome. Come and help us celebrate the official Pennsylvania landmark designation of Pittsburgh Chinatown!

Attractions will include food, performances, music, and Chinese-American rapper Jason Chu. For more information about Pittsburgh's Chinatown, which was largely displaced by the construction of the Boulevard of the Allies, please see this 2019 Next Pittsburgh profile or this 1959 article on the "end of the road for Chinatown."

The city's Chinatown was granted a state historical marker in March 2021, with a dedication ceremony scheduled for (and cancelled) last September.

Films from China, The Philippines, Asian-America in Pittsburgh as part of CMU International Film Festival, from April 2.

The annual Carneige Mellon University International Film Festival runs from March 24 to April 9, and this year features three films from Asia: 

• Ripples of Life (永安镇故事集) on April 2 at 7:00 pm, McConomy Auditorium 
• Whether the Weather is Fine (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon), April 3 at 3:00 pm, McConomy Auditorium 
• Ascension (登楼叹), April 7 at 7:30 pm, Harris Theater 

Tickets are available online.

"Future Tense: Microcinema Screening" with several Chinese, Taiwanese filmmakers, March 24 at The Andy Warhol Museum.

The Andy Warhol Museum will host "Future Tense: Microcinema Screening," featuring several Chinese and Taiwanese filmmakers and currated by Barbara London and Ellen Larson, on March 24.

We are living in a time of crisis. Anxieties about the future and questions concerning the sustainability of the planet and its inhabitants have never felt more urgent. Future Tense asks how artists approach these and other global uncertainties in relationship to identity, home, and environment. Selected videos highlight both the fragility and resilience of human ingenuity in relationship to nature, space, and place. Collectively, the artists included in this program direct themselves towards the future. They look to the past to reclaim lost histories while simultaneously imagining new possible futures. Participating artists: Imani Dennison, Fang Tianyu, Thomas Allen Harris, Pedro Neves Marques, Joan Michel, Su Yu-Hsin, Wang Mowen, and Zheng Yuan.

The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm and tickets will be available online soon.

2021 Japanese animated film Pompo: The Cinéphile (映画大好きポンポさん) in Pittsburgh, April 27 and 28.

The 2021 Japanese animated film Pompo: The Cinéphile (映画大好きポンポさん) will play in Pittsburgh on April 27 and 28. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in “Nyallywood,” the movie-making capital of the world. Although she’s known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about a tormented artistic genius, starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock, and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?

Directed by veteran animator Takayuki Hirao and produced by brand-new animation studio CLAP, Pompo the Cinephile is a rollicking, exuberant ode to the power of the movies, and the joys and heartbreak of the creative process, as a new director and his team devote their lives to the pursuit of a “masterpiece.”

It is currently scheduled to play locally at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, Monroeville, and Robinson, though more theaters may be announced later.

2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) in Pittsburgh (again) from March 20.

After its month-long run at the Harris Theater earlier this year, the acclaimed 2021 Japanese film Drive My Car (ドライブ・マイ・カー) will play in Pittsburgh again from March 20 as part of "Oscar Movie Week." A brief synospis from a December 7 NPR review:

The story follows a middle-aged Tokyo stage actor named Kafuku, superbly played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. He's a calm, mild-mannered guy who's been married for two decades to a screenwriter named Oto. We get a sense of their mutual devotion when we see Kafuku driving around in his bright red Saab, rehearsing his lines by listening to audio tapes that Oto has painstakingly recorded for him.

But their relationship is more complicated than it appears. Years ago, Kafuku and Oto experienced an agonizing loss that has led her to find solace — and perhaps something more — in relationships with other men. Kafuku has deep compassion for his wife, which doesn't make her betrayal any less painful. And then another tragedy strikes when Oto dies suddenly.

It is scheduled to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront on March 20, 22, and 24, and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless and Robinson on the 22nd and 24th. The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.