Three days of Hidden Letters at CMU: World-renowned directors Violet Du Feng and Qing Zhao explore sisterhood through a secret language in China

The Carnegie Mellon University's International Film Festival will present the 2022 documentary Hidden Letters on December 7, along with two additional days of programming. The festival shares its recent press release:

The Carnegie Mellon University International Film Festival announced that the film “Hidden Letters” will be featured on Dec. 7 at the McConomy Auditorium. It marks the combined efforts of directors Violet Du Feng and Qing Zhao and Academy Award nominated producer Su Kim (“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”), as well as Emmy-nominated producers Jean Tsien (“76 Days”) and Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas (“Nowhere to Hide”). Taking viewers on a journey from the past to present, “Hidden Letters” follows two millennial Chinese women who are connected by their interest with the secret language of sisterhood and their wish to protect it. Historically, In China, women were forced into oppressive marriages where they were prohibited from reading or writing. To cope, they developed and shared a secret language among themselves called Nüshu, which was written in poems on paper-folded fans and handkerchiefs. These hidden letters connected generations of Chinese women. Fascinated by Nüshu’s legacy of female solidarity, the two women struggle to navigate their own journeys in a patriarchal society. 

1994 Hong Kong film Chung King Express (重慶森林) at Row House Lawrenceville, from December 26.

The 1994 Hong Kong film Chung King Express (重慶森林) will play at the Row House Lawrenceville from December 26 through January 4.

Kar-wai’s break out film employs his signature crossing storylines to follow two police officers who fall into ill-fated love in a film brimming with raw humanity and irresistible energy.

Tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).

"Leaving and Loving the Walled Village: Hakka Women Writing towards Mobility and Freedom," December 7 at Pitt.

Hakka village, by madgrin. 

The University of Pittsburgh's Humanities Center will present "Leaving and Loving the Walled Village: Hakka Women Writing towards Mobility and Freedom" on December 7.

Hosted by the Humanities Center and faculty fellow, Xiqiao Wang. Respondents include Molly Warsh (History) & Dr. Rebecca Lorimer Leonard (English, UMass Amherst). This event will be hybrid, so you can attend it either in person in 602 CL or via Zoom as you prefer.

This project builds on research efforts to explore left-behind women’s lived experiences with migration in three economically under-developed provinces (Hainan, Anhui, Guizhou) in China. Drawing from ethnographic data (semi-structured interview, participant-observation, literacy artifacts) and using mobile methods (Finlay & Bowman, 2017), I construct thick description of young women’s lived experiences with migration and literacy and explore participants’ experiential and affective relationship with knowledge of changing urban and rural places in situ.

For this colloquium, I examine how young women from the Hakka ethnic group, a historically migratory ethnic configuration, work with and against narratives, cultural rituals, literary and artistic forms, and aesthetic sensitivities historically evolving through migration. I pursue these questions: How are left-behind Hakka women’s social, geographic, and literacy mobility entangled in historical imaginary of prosperity and patterns of forced/voluntary migration? How do Hakka women mobilize such imaginaries along with their multilingual repertoires to perform and disrupt gender and national identities? I hope to share my emerging efforts to map situated accounts onto broader migration trajectories surfacing through triangulated reading of observational notes, digital photos, and GIS data.

It runs from 12:30 to 2:00 pm in 602 Cathedral of Learning and online.

2023 Japanese movie Monster (怪物) in Pittsburgh, from December 15.

The 2023 Japanese movie Monster (怪物) will play in Pittsburgh from December 15.

When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.

2003 Japanese animated film Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ) in Pittsburgh, December 11 - 13 as part of "Satoshi Kon Fest."

The 2003 Japanese animated film Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ) in Pittsburgh December 11 - 13 as part of AX Cinema Nights' "Satoshi Kon Fest."

Anime Expo Cinema Nights invites you to celebrate TOKYO GODFATHERS, the acclaimed holiday classic from master director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue), as it returns to theaters to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a 4K restoration under the supervision of the original art director and producers. On Christmas Eve, three homeless companions stumble upon a baby girl in a garbage heap. They name her Kiyoko, and vow to care for her as they track down her family. Haunted by memories of their own broken pasts and pursued by a cast of shadowy characters from Tokyo's nightlife, Hana, Gin and Miyuki overcome their differences and learn to trust one another as a new, makeshift family. With the New Year fast approaching, the mystery behind baby Kiyoko deepens, and these unlikely heroes discover the surprising -- and sometimes miraculous -- connections that have brought them all together. Co-written by Keiko Nobumoto (Cowboy Bebop) and featuring a whimsical score by Keiichi Suzuki, TOKYO GODFATHERS is a masterpiece by turns heartfelt, hilarious and highly original, a tale of hope and redemption in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark Robinson, and tickets are available online. Please note, the December 11 and 13 screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles while the December 12 shows are dubbed in English.

2022 Chinese documentary Hidden Letters at CMU, December 7.

The Carnegie Mellon University International Film Festival will screen the 2022 Chinese documentary Hidden Letters on December 7.

CMUIFF is honored to screen the film Hidden Letters directed by Violet Feng in December. For centuries in China, the once-secret written language of Nüshu was calligraphed on folded fans and handkerchiefs as hidden letters so women could share stories and express solidarity in a repressive era when many women were denied literacy. Confronting patriarchy, two modern women find solace in Nüshu, rediscovering connections between traditional Chinese womanhood and contemporary feminism. On Dec. 7th at 7:30 pm, CMUIFF will screen this film at McConomy Auditorium. After the screening, Violet Feng, the director, will give a Q&A talk on the film and beyond. Chinese Catering will also be provided.

It plays at 7:30 pm in McConomy Auditorium (map) and features a Q&A with director Violet Feng. Tickets are available online.

An Evening With Mai Khôi and the Dissidents, January 10 at Club Cafe.

Opus One Productions presents "An Evening With Mai Khoi and the Dissidents" on January 10. A biography, from her official site:

Mai Khôi is an award-winning singer, composer, and activist. She rose to stardom in 2010 after winning the Vietnam Television Song and Album of the Year awards as one of the first female songwriters in Vietnam. As a pop star, Khôi released seven albums in genres of Vietnamese pop and dance, and made regular nationally televised performances. Several years later she became increasingly uncomfortable having to submit her work to government censors and, thinking she could reform the system from within, nominated herself to run in the National Assembly elections on a pro-democracy platform. Her campaign sparked a nationwide debate about political participation and culminated in a meeting with Barack Obama in May 2016. Her activism came at a high price, however: she had her concerts raided, was evicted from multiple residences, and was detained and interrogated by the police.

. . .

Since 2019, Mai Khôi has lived in exile in the USA. In 2019, she was a resident artist at SHIM:NYC, and in 2020, she was awarded an Artist Protection Fund Fellowship in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh, City of Asylum, and the International Free Expression Project. Mai Khôi was an Exiled Writer and Artist in Residence at City of Asylum in Pittsburgh from 2020-2023; she has continued to reside in Pittsburgh after the conclusion of this residency.

Tickets for the ages 21+ show are available online. Club Cafe is located at 56 S. 12th St. on the South Side (map).

2023 concert film NCT NATION : To the World in Cinemas in Pittsburgh-area theaters, December 6 and 10.

The 2023 concert film from Korean boyband NCT, NCT NATION : To the World in Cinemas, will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on December 6 and 10.

"NCT NATION : To The World in Cinemas" marks the exciting start of NCT's journey to share their unique music and spectacular performances with the world, reaffirming their position as pioneers in the K-Pop genre. The brand-new concert film encompasses current NCT units - NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV - creating an unparalleled collaborative spectacle in this must-see worldwide theatrical event. Captured from the Munhak Stadium in Incheon, Korea, and celebrating NCT's fourth full album release, 'Golden Age,' it's NCT's inaugural group show and the first film to capture the infinite charm of NCT NATION. Alongside the main concert, enjoy glimpses behind the scenes - it's all right here! Don’t miss this big-screen concert event with NCTzens across the globe!

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

Anime/Kpop Night at Squirrel Hill Sports Bar, December 23.

The Squirrel Hill Sports Bar will host another Anime/Kpop Night on December 23.

A night of your favorite anime, Korean, and Japanese Bops | Free Admission | Toys for Tots Donations Being Accepted | Cosplay Highly Encouraged

IT runs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am at 5832 Forward Ave. (map).

"Films for the Living: (Re)discovering Juzō Itami's Cinema," November 30 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Film and Media Studies Program will host Dr. Joanne Bernardi and her talk "Films for the Living: (Re)discovering Juzō Itami's Cinema" on November 30.

The writer and film director Juzō Itami (1933-1997) contributed to a complete reconfiguration of the Japanese film industry as a pioneering independent filmmaker while making ten features between 1984 and 1997. Yet, most audiences only know of his internationally acclaimed work (Tampopo, Taxing Woman) before his sensational attack by a yakuza gang member in 1992, though the latter half of his career is arguably even more relevant today. Recuperating his feature films in the broader contexts of Japanese cinema and global cinematic practice, Bernardi provides an opportunity to reconsider Itami's legacy as a key figure emerging from Japan's " Lost Decades."

The talk starts at 5:30 pm in 501 Cathedral of Learning.