2026 Indonesian horror film Sleep No More (Monster Pabrik Rambut) in Pittsburgh, September 18, part of SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Festival.

The 2026 Indonesian horror film Sleep No More (Monster Pabrik Rambut) will play in Pittsburgh on September 18, part of this year's SCREENSHOT: ASIA Film Festival. A synopsis, by SCREENSHOT:

CONTENT WARNING: Violence, Extreme Gore

Following the horrific death of their mother while on the job at a wig factory in Jakarta, sisters Putri (Rachel Amanda) and Ida (Lutesha) decide to visit the premises to investigate. Upon arriving at the gloomy, prison-like building, they meet the mysterious and intimidating Mrs. Maryati (Didik Nini Thowok), the owner of the Evergreen factory, who tells them they will have to work there to pay off the colossal debt their late mother had incurred to fund Ida’s education. There are great bonuses, but the workers live in an exhausted, zombie-like state. When more workplace accidents (and eventual deaths) occur, the sisters begin to investigate. This visceral, grotesque body horror underscores the relationship between violence and labor, and the ability of capitalism to both steal everything from the human body, even using magic as a labor-saving resource in the pursuit of global profit.

It plays from 8:00 pm at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online. University of Pittsburgh students, faculty, and staff can use promo code ASIA2026 to get free tickets, but must show valid university ID at the door.

Tickets for 2026 SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Festival now on sale.

The lineup for the 2026 SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Fest was announced a few days ago, and tickets are now available online. This year's festival features 13 works, so far, at locations throughout Oakland and downtown. Most relevant to readers of this site are films from Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea, China, and the Philippines:

• Before the Bright Day (南方時光, Taiwan) - September 18, 1:30 pm, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
• Sleep No More (Monster Pabrik Rambut, Indonesia) - September 18, 8:00 pm, Harris Theater
• Gloaming in Luomu (罗目的黄昏, China) - September 19, 11:00 am, Cathedral 332
• Filipiñana (Philippines) - September 19, 7:00 pm, Harris Theater
• Two Seasons, Two Strangers ( 旅と日々, Japan) - September 20, 11:00 am, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
• Queer Taiwan: Works from Jo-Fei Chen (Where is my Love?, Incidental Journey) - September 20, 3:00 pm, Carnegie Museum of Art
• Ky Nam Inn (Quán Kỳ Nam, Vietnam) - September 21, 6:30 pm, Public Health G24
• 3670 (Korea) - September 22, 7:00 pm, Harris Theater
• The Yoshida-Ryo Dormitory (対話のゆくえ　京都大学吉田寮, Japan) - September 23, 7:00 pm, David Lawrence 121

Tickets are free for anyone with a University of Pittsburgh ID and for Carnegie Mellon University students. The festival runs from September 16 through 23.

2025 documentary Queer as Punk in Pittsburgh, April 11.

The 2025 film Queer as Punk will play in Pittsburgh on April 11, a collaboration between SCREENSHOT: ASIA, JADED, and Aquarius (AQUARIUS (Alliance of Queer Underrepresented Asians in Recognition of Intersectionality to Uphold Solidarity). A synopsis, from the Singapore International Film Festival:

Openly queer punk-rock band Shh… Diam! turns up their music against rising conservatism and political upheaval in Malaysia.

Since meeting at a pool party in 2009, Faris, Yon and Yoyo have become a household name for their daring and snarky anthems celebrating queer desire and rage. Just as Faris begins his gender transition, Yon prepares to welcome a child and Yoyo considers migration, Malaysia escalates its rhetoric on purity and begins enacting corporal punishment on LGBTQ individuals. Through it all, the trio endeavours to continue their song.

Queer as Punk is a frank and immersive look at the private lives of the Shh… Diam (Malay for “keep quiet”) members on their world tour. More than a document of the times, the documentary elucidates and affirms the choice to leave for safety, or stay to continue resisting.

The free screening starts at 11:00 am at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium in Oakland (map) and is followed by a Q&A with AQUARIUS.  

Taste of Asia Asian Food Festival, May 11 at Heinz History Center.

The third annual Taste of Asia Asian Food Festival will take place on May 11 at the Heinz History Center. The three-hour festival will feature food from numerous restaurants plus cultural performances and other attractions. 

Experience Asian culture and flavors at the Taste of Asia program.

Join the History Center on a cultural and culinary journey to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Taste of Asia.

Presented in partnership with the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh, the program will highlight Asian American contributions of the past and present in Pittsburgh.

Indulge in delicious bites from an assortment of local Asian restaurants, explore the history of Pittsburgh’s Asian American community with the Detre Library & Archives, and watch live performances to learn about cultural celebrations.

Engage with local chefs and expand your palette by sampling food from participating restaurants, including:

• Chengdu Gourmet 2
• Sushi Fuku
• Senyai Thai Kitchen
• 1:11 Juice Bar
• Bombay to Burgh
• Charm Thai Pittsburgh
• Grapow
• Hungry Panda
• Kung Fu Chicken
• Mango Mango
• Modern Filipino Cuisine
• Nan Xiang Dumpling
• Nepali Community of Greater Pittsburgh
• Sumi’s Cakery
• Sushi Too
• WeiLai Dim Sum
• Yotea Yoka Kitchen

Restaurant vendors will also have takeaway food available to purchase.

Don’t miss the chance to discover and celebrate the incredible diversity of Asian food culture in Pittsburgh!

The event runs from 12:00 to 3:00 pm, and the Heinz History Center is located at 1212 Smallman St. in the Strip District (map).

"Lengger: A Dance Workshop" with Rianto, November 12 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh will host Rianto and "Lengger: A Dance Workshop" on November 12.

This dance workshop will be led by Rianto.

Rianto is an Indonesian-born, Japan-based dancer, choreographer, and actor, trained in classical Javanese dance from a young age. He specializes in cross-gender traditional dance form of Lengger Banyumas. Rianto was born in 1981 in Banyumas, Indonesia. Rianto learned to dance the culturally significant lengger dance at the High School for the Arts (SMKI) in Banyumas, Indonesia. He later studied choreography at the college-level Institute of the Arts (ISI) in Surakarta, central Java. Since 2003, Rianto has been based in Tokyo, where he founded the Dewandaru Dance Company, a classical Javanese dance company. Rianto has performed with many international companies and choreographers, including the Akram Khan Company and Choy Ka Fai's SoftMachine.Rianto is a master of Lengger Lanang, a dance that expresses gender, body, and construction through a man performing as a woman. Rianto has worked to preserve the dance by establishing Rumah Lengger, a center in Banyumas that trains young dancers in the style; and collaborating with the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) to document the dance using motion capture technology.

The workshop runs from 11:00 am to 12:15 in room 132, Music Building (map).

SCREENSHOT: Asia 2024 Film Festival schedule announced.

The SCREENSHOT: ASIA 2024 Film Festival schedule was announced this afternoon, with films out of Japan, China, Indonesia, and Taiwan helping to comprise the lineup. Selections include:

• A Great Absence (大いなる不在』予告編), Japan - September 29 at Frick Fine Arts (Pitt campus)
• Black Dog (狗阵), China - September 28 at Harris Theater
• Salli (莎莉), Taiwan - September 25 in Lawrence Hall (Pitt campus)
• Sweet Dreams, Indonesia - September 27 at Harris Theater

Tickets and showtime info is now available online. SCREENSHOT: ASIA, which puts on the annual festival along with other Asian programming,

is a joint project from the Film and Media Studies Program and the Asian Studies Center that brings together students, faculty, and community members to create a shared awareness of Asian and Asian American experiences through contemporary film and media. Using film, video, and other on-screen arts, the series provides a forum to learn about Asian art, whether it is a classic work of cinema, a film by an emerging director, or a documentary addressing contemporary social concerns. The programming allows us to reflect on the importance of visual arts, current arts technology, and the place of cultural experiences in a global educational experience.

Itamae Thai & Sushi Bar now open in Mt. Lebanon.

Itamae Thai & Sushi Bar has recently opened in Mt. Lebanon, holding its Grand Opening on July 5. Mt. Lebanon Magazine profiled the restaurant on May 10 when it was still in the works:

Hungry for sushi? A new restaurant called Itamae is coming soon to 193 Castle Shannon Boulevard, replacing Yum Yum Asian Cuisine, which closed in February.

Itamae is Japanese for chef, or someone who works behind a cutting board. The new concept will be Thai and sushi. The decor will be Asian/Japanese.

Indonesian-born Vick Oktavian and his wife, Katie Kaewwangworn, are self-proclaimed foodies with years of culinary experience. “We love checking out different restaurants and trying different cuisine. We are firm believers that in order to make good food, we must train our taste buds by eating good food,” said Oktavian.

It is located at 193 Castle Shannon Blvd. (map).

Gamelan Music and Dance of Indonesia: A Tribute Concert for Undang Sumarna, April 13 at University of Pittsburgh.

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Music will present the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble and Gamelan Music and Dance of Indonesia: A Tribute Concert for Undang Sumarna on April 13.

The University Gamelan Ensemble plays the gamelan music of the Sundanese people. Pitt's gamelan group includes students as well as community members. Participants in the gamelan program are encouraged to use Sundanese processes of learning as much as possible; oral transmission of musical parts is preferred over written notation and working together as an ensemble is more important than developing individual talent.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in the Bellefield Auditorium at 315 S. Bellefield Ave. (map) and tickets are available online.

Gamelan Music and Dance of Indonesia: A Tribute Concert for Undang Sumarna, April 13 at University of Pittsburgh.

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Music will present the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble and Gamelan Music and Dance of Indonesia: A Tribute Concert for Undang Sumarna on April 13.

The University Gamelan Ensemble plays the gamelan music of the Sundanese people. Pitt's gamelan group includes students as well as community members. Participants in the gamelan program are encouraged to use Sundanese processes of learning as much as possible; oral transmission of musical parts is preferred over written notation and working together as an ensemble is more important than developing individual talent.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in the Bellefield Auditorium at 315 S. Bellefield Ave. (map) and tickets are available online.

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. 

Indonesian rock band Voice of Baceprot in Pittsburgh, August 11.

The Indonesian rock band Voice of Baceprot will play a show in Pittsburgh on August 11. Their official site introduces them thus:

Young, Indonesian, hijab-wearing, female metal trio Voice Of Baceprot (VOB) have been covering the members’ favourite metal songs since they learned to play their instruments. Their prowess at playing these covers got them attention from fans and media worldwide and enabled them to develop to the point where they could, as a band, create original songs.

Consisting of Marsya (vocals and guitar), Widi (bass), and Sitti (drums), the trio first met when they were still junior high school students in their hometown of Singajaya, a small village two hours’ drive away from the city of Garut, West Java. The word “baceprot” from their band name comes from the Sundanese language meaning “noisy”. It was chosen to represent the type of music that they play.

Since their formation, VOB have become a point of discussion for a host of renowned global media, including The New York Times, NPR, BBC, DW and The Guardian, featuring them in the pages of their online publication. VOB were recently named by heavy metal and rock magazine Metal Hammer as “the Metal Band the World Needs Right Now”.

They'll play at the Hard Rock Cafe Pittsburgh, located at 230 W. Station Square Drive (map) in Station Square. The show starts at 7:00 pm, and guests under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Indonesian rock band Voice of Baceprot in Pittsburgh, August 11.

The Indonesian rock band Voice of Baceprot will play a show in Pittsburgh on August 11. Their official site introduces them thus:

Young, Indonesian, hijab-wearing, female metal trio Voice Of Baceprot (VOB) have been covering the members’ favourite metal songs since they learned to play their instruments. Their prowess at playing these covers got them attention from fans and media worldwide and enabled them to develop to the point where they could, as a band, create original songs.

Consisting of Marsya (vocals and guitar), Widi (bass), and Sitti (drums), the trio first met when they were still junior high school students in their hometown of Singajaya, a small village two hours’ drive away from the city of Garut, West Java. The word “baceprot” from their band name comes from the Sundanese language meaning “noisy”. It was chosen to represent the type of music that they play.

Since their formation, VOB have become a point of discussion for a host of renowned global media, including The New York Times, NPR, BBC, DW and The Guardian, featuring them in the pages of their online publication. VOB were recently named by heavy metal and rock magazine Metal Hammer as “the Metal Band the World Needs Right Now”.

They'll play at the Hard Rock Cafe Pittsburgh, located at 230 W. Station Square Drive (map) in Station Square. The show starts at 7:00 pm, and guests under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

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).

University Gamelan Ensemble performance, November 15 at Pitt.

The Department of Music will present a University Gamelan Ensemble performance on November 15. A description of the ensemble, from the department:

The University Gamelan was founded in fall 1997 and is directed by Andrew Weintraub. The instructor for the course is currently Jay Arms. The University Gamelan Ensemble (Mus 0690) 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). Gamelan music is played as accompaniment to dance, drama, puppet theater, and martial arts, as well as for concerts of listening music. Gamelan is performed in conjunction with special occasions and to mark important life-cycle events.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in Bellefield Hall (map) and is free and open to the public, though registration is required. It will also be streamed online on the department's Youtube channel.

Sagisaka Duo, Cornelius Boots, The Jakarta Method at Vestige Concept Gallery in Lawrenceville, November 5; traditional Japanese music, "bass shakuhachi," and Indonesian rock.

Sagisaka Duo, Cornelius Boots, and The Jakarta Method will perform at the Vestige Concept Gallery in Lawrenceville tonight, November 5.

Join us on Saturday, Nov. 5th at 7:30 PM for an evening of music by Sagisaka Duo (traditional Japanese music), Cornelius Boots (bass shakuhachi, original compositions) and Risky Sasono’s “The Jakarta Method!” We’re asking for $15 suggested donation at the door to be split amongst the performers.

The event starts at 7:30 pm. The Vestige Concept Gallery is located at 5417 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

"From Indonesia to Pittsburgh: New Music for the University Gamelan," April 8 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "From Indonesia to Pittsburgh: New Music for the University Gamelan" on April 8.

Sundanese composer, performer, and educator Ismet Ruchimat joins the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan for an evening of contemporary music and dance from Indonesia. Join us for a program featuring traditional music and world premieres of new compositions by Ruchimat with dance choreographed and performed by guest artist Maya Caturistayu.

The event starts at 8:00 pm at Bellefield Hall and will also be streamed on the department's Youtube page. The concert is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Those who are not Pitt faculty, staff, or students will receive guest access to the building if they register in advance.

"From Indonesia to Pittsburgh: New Music for the University Gamelan," April 8 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "From Indonesia to Pittsburgh: New Music for the University Gamelan" on April 8.

Sundanese composer, performer, and educator Ismet Ruchimat joins the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan for an evening of contemporary music and dance from Indonesia. Join us for a program featuring traditional music and world premieres of new compositions by Ruchimat with dance choreographed and performed by guest artist Maya Caturistayu.

The event starts at 8:00 pm at Bellefield Hall and will also be streamed on the department's Youtube page. The concert is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Those who are not Pitt faculty, staff, or students will receive guest access to the building if they register in advance.

Short films from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America part of Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival, November 18 - 21.

Though the Three Rivers Film Festival will feature no full-length Asian films this year, its companion festival, the Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival running from November 18 through 21, will feature shorts from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America.

The program of films includes "Americanized," "Raspberry," and "Windup" from the USA; "Annah la Javanaise" from Indonesia; "Colorful" and "Georgia" from Korea; and "Dinner" from Vietnam. The short films are grouped into various blocks and play at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty (map) and, in some cases, virtually. Tickets are available online.
Still from "Windup."

Still from "Colorful."

Short films from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America part of Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival, November 18 - 21.

Though the Three Rivers Film Festival will feature no full-length Asian films this year, its companion festival, the Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival running from November 18 through 21, will feature shorts from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America.

The program of films includes "Americanized," "Raspberry," and "Windup" from the USA; "Annah la Javanaise" from Indonesia; "Colorful" and "Georgia" from Korea; and "Dinner" from Vietnam. The short films are grouped into various blocks and play at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty (map) and, in some cases, virtually. Tickets are available online.
Still from "Windup."

Applications for Pitt's Asian Studies Center Language Partner program being accepted.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center is now accepting applicatiosn for its latest Language Partner program.