2021 Taiwanese film A Letter to A'ma (給阿媽的一封信), and Q&A with the director, April 16 at CMU.

The 2021 Taiwanese film A Letter to A'ma (給阿媽的一封信), and Q&A with the director, will play at Carnegie Mellon University on April 16. The event is hosted by the Pittsburgh Taiwanese Association and co-hosted by Café Philo Pittsburgh and the Taiwanese Scholar Society in Pittsburgh.

In A Letter to A’ma, Taiwanese art teacher/filmmaker Hui-Ling returns to her childhood home to mourn the passing of her grandmother. As she pieces together the fragmented memories of her youth, she finds herself coming face-to-face with the problematic issue of her country’s fractured history. Through a student art project guided by this teacher that has lasted for over a decade, a representational portrait of the island’s collective memory begins to emerge, initiating a process in which Taiwan, an island-nation forgotten by the world and in the midst of forgetting itself after centuries of colonization and decades of dictatorship, can now remember its past and re-envision its postcolonial identity through art.

Director Hui-Ling Chen will attend for a post-screening Q&A!

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).

2023 Japan Lecture Series - The Physics of the Samurai Sword, April 20 at Cranberry Township Library.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present "The Physics of the Samurai Sword" on April 20, part of the 2023 Japan Lecture Series.

Ever wonder why samurai swords occupy such a revered place in the art of weaponry? The curved blades have become so popular in media that many English speakers know their name - katana. The physics behind a katana are complex and involve a combination of metallurgy, materials science, and manufacturing techniques. Swords of other shapes and lengths complemented the use of the katana in battle and cultural significance.

Learn more about the history, development, and use of these blades on April 20, 2023. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.

The talk by Matthew Roberts of Pine-Richaland High School runs from 6:00 to 7:45 pm at the Cranberry Township Library (map). The event is free but registration is required.

2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり) in Pittsburgh, from April 13.

The 2022 Japanese animated film Suzume (すずめの戸締まり) will play in Pittsburgh from April 13.

On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety— “Suzume” is a coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation. Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu (located in southwestern Japan) when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

Suzume was the third-highest grossing film in Japan for 2022 and to this point is the third highest-grossing film there in 2023. It is scheduled to play, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the AMC Classic Westmoreland, 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).

University of Pittsburgh hiring Postdoctoral Fellow in Japan Studies.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of History of Art & Architecture is hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow in Japan Studies.

The Department of History of Art and Architecture (HAA) and the Asian Studies Center (ASC) at the University of Pittsburgh invite applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow of Japanese Art, Architecture, or Visual Culture for academic years 2024 and 2025 (September 1, 2023–April 30, 2025). This position is open to applicants with expertise in the history of art, architecture, or visual culture of Japan (including its diaspora, colonies, occupied territories, and indigenous communities) from any time period. HAA is committed to centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its curricular and research initiatives. We seek a colleague whose scholarship, teaching, and mentorship will advance our DEIA and anti-racist mission. Applications are open to advanced ABDs (those who will have PhD in hand by April 2024) and to scholars who have received their PhDs within the last 6 years. 

The postdoctoral fellow will teach one course each fall and spring semester at the undergraduate level, one of which will be the Arts of Japan. The other course will be an upper-division undergraduate seminar related to the fellow’s research expertise in Japan and may be open to graduate students. In addition to their teaching duties, the postdoctoral fellow will be expected to mentor undergraduate and graduate students beyond the classroom as appropriate to their educational needs. The fellow will receive a research stipend and mentoring from colleagues in HAA and ASC.

Pittsburgh Japan Community Spring Picnic, April 22 at North Park; April 7 registration deadline.

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!

Opening reception for new Shohei Katayama exhibition, April 29 at Mattress Factory.

The Mattress Factory will host an opening reception for an upcoming Shohei Katayama exhibition on April 29.

Join us for the opening of a new exhibition by artist-in-residence Shohei Katayama. Shohei Katayama is a Japanese American artist who explores the space between light and dark, life and death, beauty and danger, nature and man. Utilizing his art as a catalyst for environmental conversations, his work examines the underlying patterns and forces of nature by showcasing unseen relationships in ecology. Katayama uses materials that embodies the philosophy associated with ecological examination. Through his work, Katayama demonstrates the entanglements that are present between such systems and illustrates the disruptions that can occur when individual components are manipulated.

The Opening Reception is a free event that will feature a walk-through of the new exhibition and an opportunity to meet the artist. Drinks and non-alcoholic refreshments will be available.

Registration for the Opening Reception is strongly encouraged here.

Please check in at the Museum’s Main Building at 505 Jacksonia Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

It runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Main Building, located at 505 Jacksonia Street in the Mexican War Streets section of the North Side (map).

Lauren Yee's Young Americans at O'Reilly Theater, from April 26.

Pittsburgh Public Theater will present Lauren Yee's play Young Americans the O'Reilly Theater from April 26 through May 14.

WORLD PREMIERE BY ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST EXCITING NEW VOICES Journey between two eras and two generations as celebrated playwright Lauren Yee sets the stage for us to road trip there and back in her hilarious, heartfelt new play. On parallel treks, Joe drives from D.C. to Portland trying to win the heart of his unfamiliar new fiancé Jenny and, twenty years later, drives the same roads back to have one last adventure with their adopted daughter Lucy before delivering her to college. With some unexpected detours along the way, immigrants Jenny and Joe traverse the strange territory of their new country while their daughter Lucy pieces together their bittersweet family history in this beautiful new comedy about the lengths we will go for the people we love. A world premiere co-production with Portland Center Stage.

Tickets are now available online. The O'Reilly Theater is located at 621 Penn Ave. in downtown's Cultural District (map).

1985 Japanese film Tampopo (タンポポ) at Row House Cinema, April 21 - 27.

The 1985 Japanese film Tampopo (タンポポ) will play at Row House Cinema from April 21 - 27, part of its Chef film series.

This humorous and endearing ‘Japanese Noodle Western’ is and ode to the joys of food. When a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles, the widowed owner begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the “art of noodle-soup making.”

Tickets are now available. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).