2023 Japanese animated movie Blue Giant in Pittsburgh, October 8 and 9.

The 2023 Japanese animated movie Blue Giant will play in Pittsburgh on October 8 and 9. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Dai Miyamoto's life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. A former high school basketball player, Dai picks up a saxophone and begins practicing day and night, determined to become one of the greatest of all time. He leaves his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, but soon finds the life of a professional musician is not for the faint of heart. His passion eventually wins over the cocky but talented pianist Yukinori, and after Dai convinces his friend Shunji to learn the drums, they launch a new jazz trio whose rough sound contains a raw energy that quickly wins attention from local audiences. But what does it take to truly be great?

From director Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100) and based on the award-winning manga, Blue Giant is a moving ode to the power of music and the artist, featuring electric performances and a stunning jazz soundtrack.

It will play locally, in Japanese with English subtitles, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Work underway on Pittsburgh's first Paris Baguette.

In mid-August Pittsburgh's first Paris Baguette was announced for The Block Northway, and work is underway on the space it will occupy on the lower leven next to Blaze Pizza. The Block Northway is a shopping center on McKnight Road that emerged from the remnants of the old Northway Mall.
via @parisbaguetteus

Paris Baguette is a chain of Korean 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, and had a Youngstown location listed as "coming soon" though mention of it was removed from the website earlier this month. Paris Baguette's arrival is part of a boom in new Asian restaurants, particularly chain restaurants, making their way to Pittsburgh.

2022 Korean film Hail to Hell (지옥만세) in Pittsburgh October 6 as part of SCREENSHOT:Asia Film Festival.

The 2022 Korean film Hail to Hell (지옥만세) will play in Pittsburgh on October 6 as part of this year's SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Festival.

In this black comedy from Na Mi and Sun Woo, who have been suffering from bullying and school violence throughout their school days, attempt suicide while their classmates go on a school trip. After the silly yet ridiculous suicide failure, the two try to take revenge on Chae Rin, who bullied them most and now lives happily in Seoul. However, their plans go awry. Ridiculously, Chae Rin, the worst bully ever, has found religion and has turned into a genuinely good person. What should they do now?

The festival posts viewer warnings about violence, language, and suicidal ideation. The movie plays at 5:30 pm in the Harris Theater, in Pittsburgh's Cultural District (map), and tickets are available online. SCREENSHOT: Asia screenings are free to those with Pitt IDs, so those guests may show them at the door to gain entrance, space permitting.

Pitt hosting Dr. Esther Kim Lee, author of Made-Up Asians: Yellowface During the Exclusion Era, April 2024.

The University of Pittsburgh's Humanities Center will host Dr. Esther Kim Lee for a discussion of her book Made-Up Asians: Yellowface During the Exclusion Era on April 11, 2024.

The talk is based on the recently published book Made-Up Asians: Yellowface During the Exclusion Era, which traces the history of yellowface, the theatrical convention of non-Asian actors putting on makeup and costume to look East Asian. Using specific case studies from European and U.S. theater, race science, and early film, the book examines the development of yellowface in the U.S. context during the Exclusion Era (1862–1940), when Asians faced legal and cultural exclusion from immigration and citizenship. By examining the makeup technology of yellowface, the talk analyzes how theatre historians should rethink key foundational concepts and historical narratives. It questions the dominance of mimesis in discussions of acting and racialize performances and argues for a broader conceptualization of theatre history.

The talk runs from 12:30 to 2:00 pm and is hybrid, held in both 602 Cathedral of Learning and online via Zoom.

University of Pittsburgh hiring Mellon Chair in Korean Studies.

The Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh is hiring a Mellon Chair in Korean Studies. An excerpt from the job ad:

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications from nationally prominent scholars to fill the A. W. Mellon Endowed Chair at the tenured Associate Professor or Professor level in Korean Studies, with the appointment to begin in the 2024-2025 academic year, pending budgetary approval. In filling this chair, the Department seeks candidates with extraordinary credentials in research, teaching, and program development.    

We welcome candidates from any subfield and are particularly interested in scholars who will contribute to expanding our research and teaching in Korean Studies.  The new colleague will be instrumental in building our new Korean major within the context of our established strengths in East Asian Literature, Performing Arts, and Film and Media Studies.  We are looking for a dynamic colleague with expertise in one or more of the following areas: traditional Korean literature and performing arts and their significance in contemporary culture; Korean culture in East Asian contexts; gender and sexuality studies in traditional through contemporary Korean humanities; Korean music and global culture; Korean identities and diasporic communities; pop culture and intercultural communication; and visual studies, particularly in connection to traditional arts or new media.  The successful candidate will develop long-term cross-disciplinary research and teaching initiatives with colleagues at the University and other institutions and will have native or near-native ability in Korean and English in all skill areas. 

English Mandarin Language Social Hour, October 25 at Pitt.

Credit:  LRB: 安平影像 (风光), via @tongbingxue

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and the English Language Institute will present an English Mandarin Language Social Hour on October 25.

A language and cultural exchange between Pitt language learners and international speakers. Lunch provided.

The event runs from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall (map), and is open to members of the Pitt community. Registration is required.

Shadyside's Nakwon Garden reopening today.

Photo from September 13.

Nakwon Garden, a Korean restaurant in Shadyside, will reopen today, September 27 according to ownership. The hours are 12:00 to 10:00 pm, Monday through Saturday, with reservations preferred. Nakwon Garden is located at 5504 Centre Ave. (map).

Handwritten "Open Soon" signage went up on its door in August, and a fresh coat of paint went up earlier this month. The restaurant closed on January 1 and hinted at reopening in the future.

Korea-based travelling music family TENGGER in Pittsburgh, October 4.

The three-piece travelling music family band Tengger will play in Pittsburgh on October 4 as part of their North American tour. Their official site describes their sound thus:

텐거/天郷
TENGGER is a traveling musical family, made up of Pan-Asian couple, itta and Marqido, who create their brand of psychedelic New-Age drone magic through the use of harmonium, voice, and toy instruments (played by itta) and analogue synths (played by Marqido). The duo originally started out with the moniker “10” but since the birth of their son RAAI (who joins them on tour and often on stage) in 2012, have called themselves TENGGER (meaning ‘unlimited expanse of sky’ in Mongolian) to mark the expansion of the family. It also means ‘huge sea’ in Hungarian. Travel, as spiritual experience in real environments, and the sound between the space and the audience have been central themes of their works. The family’s yearly pilgrimages inform every aspect of their art.

They will play at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh in Shadyside (map), from 7:30 to 9:30 pm.

Spice Island Tea House closing September 30; last day of dine-in service September 28.

Spice Island Tea House in Oakland announced today it will close on September 30, with the last day of dine-in service on September 28.

On a more bittersweet note, we will be ending our 28-year run as Spice Island Tea House this week. Our last day of Dine-in Service will be Thursday, Sept 28, and last day for Take-Out Service will be Saturday, Sept 30. We are grateful to have had the pleasure of serving you throughout the years. When we first opened in 1995, never in our wildest dreams did we think we would go on this long. Admittedly, the last few years have been the hardest we’ve ever faced. And thanks to you, our customers, for the enduring support that have kept us going for as long as we have. But now is the time to ride this ship into the sunset. Although we will no longer be operating as Spice Island, we are exploring the possibility of other culinary endeavors through a series of Pop-ups and events. So stay tuned and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for upcoming events! Thank you, Spicefans! It has been a lovely venture!

The restaurant is located at 253 Atwood St. (map).

2023 SCREENSHOT: Asia film festival, with selections from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, around Pittsburgh October 4 - 8.

The 2023 SCREENSHOT: Asia film festival will run from October 4 through 8 at several theaters in Pittsburgh and will include movies from China, Japan, Korean, and Taiwan in its lineup. 

• Coo Coo 043 ( 一家子兒咕咕叫 / Taiwan) - October 8, 3:30 pm, Frick Fine Arts Building
• Hail to Hell (지옥만세 / Korea) - October 6, 6:00 pm, Harris Theater
• In My Mother's Skin (Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan) - October 5, 8:00 pm, Harris Theater
• Plan 75 (Japan) - October 7, 5:30 pm, Harris Theater (includes Director Q&A)
• Return to Dust (隐入尘烟 / China) - TBD
• Tiger Stripes (Malaysia) - October 8, 7:00 pm, Alumni Hall Room 323 (includes Director Q&A)

The movies will play at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District and in spots around the University of Pittsburgh campus.