University Gamelan: Gamelan Sunda—The Sound of Celebration, April 1 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "University Gamelan: Gamelan Sunda—The Sound of Celebration" on April 1.

The University Gamelan Ensemble, directed by Andrew Weintraub and Jay Arms, plays the gamelan music of the Sundanese people, an ethnic group that inhabits roughly the western third of the island of Java. Gamelan refers to a set of predominantly percussion instruments including tuned gongs, metal-keyed instruments, and drums (as well as bowed lute and voice).

Featuring guest artists Endang Rukandi and Henry Spiller.

FREE and open to the general public

Livestream available on the Music at Pitt YouTube channel

The event will be held from 8:00 pm in the Bellefield Hall Auditorium in Oakland (map).

Work in Progress Series: "Reading at the Crossroads: Literary Landscapes in Okinawa’s Black Pacific” by Nozomi Saito, April 3 at Pitt.

"Kyoto University possesses remains taken from the Momojyana tomb in Okinawa, Japan, where members of the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom are believed to be buried." Photo by Dr. Yasukatsu Matushima, in Science

Nozomi Saito, a Ph.D. Candidate in Critical & Cultural Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, will present "Reading at the Crossroads: Literary Landscapes in Okinawa’s Black Pacific” on April 3, part of the Department of English's Work in Progress Series.

Nozomi (Nakaganeku) Saito is a PhD Candidate in Critical & Cultural Studies at Pitt with a concentration in Literature. She is currently completing her dissertation “Aftermaths of Empires: Cold War Narratives in the Black Pacific.” In 2024 she will join the faculty of Amherst College as an Assistant Professor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Literature

The talk runs from 9:30 to 10:30 am in 501 Catheral of Learning.

2000 Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) in Pittsburgh, April 15 - 20.

The 2000 Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) will play in Pittsburgh April 15 through 20. From the distributor:

The extraordinary, internationally embraced Yi Yi (A One and a Two . . .), directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century.

It plays at the Row House Cinema and tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Japanese Student Association at Pitt presents Matsuri, March 25.

The Japanese Student Association at Pitt will host its annual Matsuri on March 25. It runs from 5 to 8 pm in the William Pitt Union Lower Lounge and is free and open to the student community, though some booths will require tickets.

CMU's Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture presents Empresses in the Palace (后宫甄嬛传), April 1, for this year's Spring Theatre.

Carnegie Mellon University's Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (CMU ARCC) will Empresses in the Palace (后宫甄嬛传) on April 1, this year's installment of its annual Spring Theatre performance.

This year's production, Empresses in the Palace (后宫甄嬛传) will present the life story of Zhen Huan and her transition from an innocent talented young adult into a stone-hearted woman, in the Palace of Qing Dynasty. We tell this story through acting interweaved with traditional dance, martial arts, and musical performances.

Tickets are now available online, and the first 50 ticket purchases will also receive free boba. The performance starts at 7:30 pm in the Cohon University Center Rangos Ballroom (map).

2021 Taiwanese film Goddamned Asura (該死的阿修羅) in Pittsburgh, March 25, part of this year's Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival.

The 2021 Taiwanese film Goddamned Asura (該死的阿修羅) will play in Pittsburgh on March 25, part of this year's Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival.

Taiwan's official selection for the 95th Academy Awards, Goddamned Asura presents youth, violence, and the consequences of a digital world. Following what is seemingly a senseless act of violence, the film traces the histories of six people and their connection to the event. The film questions our relationship with digital media. Is it a tool of obsessive distraction or an agent of change? What can we expect from a youth generation that views the world as absurd and untenable? Goddamned Asura forays into the social issues that flood our TV screens, a disquieting parallel to the stream of flashing lights that characterize the film.

It starts at 7:30 pm on the CMU campus, in McConomy Auditorium, Jared L. Cohon Center, and includes Q&A sessions and a reception.

Q&A and Discussion with director Lou Yi-An and actress Wang Yu-Xuan

Moderated by Kun Qian, Professor of Modern Chinese Literature and Film, University of Pittsburgh

Reception catered by FUKU and Many More Asian Supermarket

Additional Pittsburgh-area theater announced for Return to Seoul, March 24 - 29.

The 2022 film Return to Seoul will play in Pittsburgh for an additional six days, from March 24 through 29, following its March 23 screening as part of this year's Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival. It will play at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map), and showtimes were just announced for the AMC Loews Waterfront. A quick synopsis:

Set over an eight-year time span, Return to Seoul follows Freddie’s journey back to her place of birth — a country to which she has never been and of which she does not know the language. Freddie, played by first-time actor Park Ji-Min, has never felt at home or comfortable in any setting, which may be why she ventures back to Seoul. Over the course of the eight years, Seoul, the city, and Freddie, its citizen, evolve with each new encounter. A story driven through change, Return to Seoul invites audiences to look closely at the experience of adoption, integration, and what it means to be “from” somewhere.

2023 Chinese movie Full River Red (满江红) remains in Pittsburgh through March 29.

The 2023 Zhang Yimou film Full River Red (满江红), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 16, will remain here through at least March 29.

12th century China, during the Song Dynasty, set against a brewing rebellion by the Jin people against the Imperial Court. Two hours before a crucial diplomatic meeting between the Song Prime Minister Qin Hui and a high level Jin delegation, the Jin Ambassador is murdered. An important letter destined for the Emperor is stolen from him. As the search for the letter unfolds, alliances are formed, secrets are revealed, and no one can stop the truth that is destined to leave its mark in history.

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

Chinese animated film New Gods: Yang Jian (新神榜：杨戬) in Pittsburgh, April 13.

The 2022 Chinese animated film New Gods: Yang Jian (新神榜：杨戬) will play at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville on April 13. From GKIDS, the distributor:

Thirteen years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, the once powerful god now scrapes by as a penniless bounty hunter. When a mysterious woman hires him for a new job, Yang Jian soon finds himself chasing down a familiar figure. He must stop Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who is in search of the magical lotus lantern that will free his mother, even if it will bring catastrophe. As Yang Jian confronts the actions of his past, he must face a host of dangerous vigilantes seeking the same treasure with the power to alter the balance of their worlds.

This latest entry in the New Gods universe from Light Chaser Animation (White Snake, New Gods: Nezha Reborn) features awe-inspiring action sequences set against breathtaking and wildly imaginative environments. Combining ancient lore with dazzling animation, New Gods: Yang Jian is a timeless adventure of epic proportions featuring one of China’s legendary mythic figures.

The show is at 7:00 pm and tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map). New Gods: Yang Jian last played in Pittsburgh in November 2022.

Pittsburgh Japan Community Spring Picnic, April 22 at North Park.

The Japanese Society of Greater Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Japanese School are hosting a Pittsburgh Japan Community Picnic on April 22.  The event is open to the public but registration by April 7 is required.  Information about the event, from the Japanese Society of Greater Pittsburgh:

Pittsburgh Japan Community Spring Picnic

Pittsburgh Japan Community Spring Picnic will be held on Saturday, April 22 at North Park. Come enjoy eating freshly pounded rice cakes and listening to the  Japanese musical instruments in a park with a view of cherry blossoms.

Pittsburgh Japanese School (PJS) and Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh (JAGP) have jointly organized this event to provide an opportunity for the Japanese community in the Pittsburgh area to get to know each other.

Everyone is welcome to attend free of charge, so please feel free to register.
Advance registration is required to attend the event.[Deadline: 4/7(Fri.)]. 

We look forward to seeing you there!