Porco Rosso (紅の豚), The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ) in Pittsburgh, August 20 - 23.

The 1992 Japanese animated film Porco Rosso (紅の豚) and the 2014 film The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on alternating days, August 20 - 23, as part of this year's Ghiblifest. The distributor summarizes Porco Rosso, which plays here August 20 and 22.

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a dazzling aerial adventure set in and above the scenic port towns of the Adriatic Sea.

“Porco Rosso” is a world-weary flying ace-turned-bounty-hunter, whose face has been transformed into that of a pig by a mysterious spell. When he infuriates a band of sky pirates with his heroics, the pirates hire Curtis, a hotshot American rival, to get rid of him. But with the help of the teenage girl Fio, an aspiring airplane designer, and a sultry lounge singer named Gina, Porco takes to the skies for what may be his final high-flying showdown.

And The Wind Rises, which plays on August 21 and 23.

The newest masterpiece from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a spellbinding movie beyond compare.

Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni. Nearsighted and unable to be a pilot, he becomes one of the world’s most accomplished airplane designers, experiencing key historical events in an epic tale of love, perseverance and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world.

The films play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, Waterworks Cinema, Phoenix Theater in Bridgeville, and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online; be aware that some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, September 30.

The Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival will be returning this year to North Park Lake (map) on September 30. From the organizers' press release:

Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Team is hosting a dragon boat festival on Saturday, September 30, 2023, from 8:30am-3:30 pm at North Park Lake Boathouse. REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Now in its fifth year, this vibrant event at North Park Lake brings together the exciting sport of dragon boat racing, entertainment, food, and fun family activities!

At this year’s festival, community, youth, competitive, para-paddlers, all cancer survivors, and breast cancer survivor teams will compete in spirited races at beautiful North Park. Anyone can learn how to paddle a dragon boat. Interested individuals can form a team by gathering 20-24 of their friends, family and co-workers. Every team will get a one-hour lesson/practice the week before the race and all equipment will be supplied. Register online at https://www.pghdragonboatfestival.org/, by no later than September 16, 2023. Paddlers must be 12 years of age and older.

In addition to the dragon boat races, there will be cultural performances, family-friendly activities, vendors and food trucks.

Japanese band Boris (ボリス) returns to Pittsburgh, September 15, with Melvins.

Japanese rock band Boris (ボリス) will perform at the Roxian Theatre on September 15, sharing the bill with Melvins. They've played in Pittsburgh several times before, most recently last fall, and tickets are available online. Roxian Theatre is located at 425 Chartiers Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

Korean bakery chain Paris Baguette coming soon to Pittsburgh.

via @parisbaguetteus

Shortly after this summer's news of Pittsburgh getting its first Tous Les Jours (뜌레쥬르) is word that another Korean bakery chain, Paris Baguette, is coming to the North Hills. It will be located at The Block Northway, a shopping center in Ross Township (map).

Paris Baguette is a chain of bakeries ubiquitous throughout South Korea that has over 150 locations across the United States. The menu boasts a wide variety of cakes, baked goods, sandwiches, juices, and coffees, in addition its eponymous French bread. It has several spots in Philadelphia already, with a location in Youngstown also listed as "coming soon."

Estelle Z at Lounge at the Greer Cabaret Theater, August 24.

Estelle Z will perform at the Lounge at the Greer Cabaret Theater on August 24.

Estelle Z is a musician and performer of cover songs. She grew up listening to bedroom pop before it had a name, and resonates with some version of every sad girl with a ukulele on YouTube. She'll put an indie acoustic spin on any song she can get her hands on.

The concert starts at 5:30 pm and is free, but registration is required. The Greer Cabaret Theater is located at 655 Penn Ave. in downtown's Cultural District (map).

Food delivery service Hungry Panda hiring Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist for Pittsburgh area.

Hungry Panda is hiring a Mandarin-speaking Business Development Specialist for the Pittsburgh area. As PennsylvAsia noted in Summer 2020, more Chinese delivery options, like Fantuan, Hungry Panda, and Chowbus, have made their way to Pittsburgh, with Fantuan and Hungry Panda the two most prominent in the city.

Main Duties and Responsibilities：

• Acquire merchants and assist them in achieving higher orders and GMV (Gross merchandise volume), Responsible for the Sales revenue and market share.
• Arrange in-person meetings to negotiate contracts with potential merchants
• Maintain existing relationships with cooperating merchants, coordinate and resolve issues with various stakeholders, continuously improve merchant satisfaction and merchant service quality, and ensure fluent business operations
• Conduct regular merchant visits, apply for/replace merchant material for merchants.
• Ensure the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to customer needs and objectives
• Maintain and constantly update backstage setting for each merchant in charge
• Liaising with Marketing, and Delivery Operation to align strategies aimed at increasing Gross merchandise volume

Zen Ramen & Poke now open in Waterworks Mall.

"Grand Opening" signage is now up at Zen Ramen & Poke in the Waterworks Mall in Fox Chapel (map), and the restaurant is now open in the spot next to Ichiban Steakhouse that was formerly occupied by Italian Village Pizza. The menu includes items like chicken katsu curry rice, karaage, takoyaki, and a selection of Chinese-American dishes and other Japanese appetizers and desserts, in addition to ramen and poké bowls. The owner also runs Zen's Noodle House in Oakland.

Signage first went up for the new restaurant back in May. It is located somewhat close to the Pittsburgh Japanese School that brings together dozens of families in Fox Chapel most Sundays of the year, so has the potential to do well in spite of the painful road construction completely surrounding the shopping center.

2003 Korean film Oldboy (올드보이) in Pittsburgh theater for 20th anniversary, August 16 - 23.

The 2003 Korean film Oldboy (올드보이) will play in Pittsburgh for its 20th anniversary from August 16 to 23. A synopsis from the distributor:

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Park Chan-Wook’s cinematic masterpiece, Oldboy will be released in theaters, restored and remastered in stunning 4K. After being mysteriously kidnapped and imprisoned with no human contact for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik) is suddenly released without any explanation. In a twisted game of cat and mouse, he has only five days to retrace his past, track down his captors, and get his revenge.

It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

Anime / K-pop Night at Squirrel Hill Sports Bar, August 19.

Squirrel Hill Sports Bar will host Anime / K-pop Night on August 19. There's a cosplay contest with a $200 prize. The ages 21-and-over event runs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am, and there is a $5 cover charge at the door. The Squirrel Hill Sports Bar is located at 5832 Forward Ave. (map), next to Chengdu Gourmet.

Shortcomings, Randall Park's directorial debut, remains in Pittsburgh-area theaters through August 16.

Shortcomings, the directorial debut from Randall Park which opened in Pittsburgh last week, will remain here through (at least) August 16. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Ben, a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko, who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an arthouse movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice, a queer grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves to New York for an internship, Ben is left to his own devices, and begins to explore what he thinks he might want.

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