Ghost Fleet, a documentary on present-day slave fishermen of Thailand, in Pittsburgh July 5 - 11.

The 2018 documentary Ghost Fleet will play in Pittsburgh from July 5 through 11. A synopsis, via the documentary's official site:

Ghost Fleet follows a small group of activists who risk their lives on remote Indonesian islands to find justice and freedom for the enslaved fishermen who feed the world’s insatiable appetite for seafood. Bangkok-based Patima Tungpuchayakul, a Thai abolitionist, has committed her life to helping these “lost” men return home. Facing illness, death threats, corruption, and complacency, Patima’s fearless determination for justice inspires her nation and the world.

And in a Hollywood Reporter review:

During the voyage, [the filmmakers] encounter a handful of escaped slaves from Thailand, Burma and Cambodia hiding out on remote islands far from home. They all have similar stories of how they were promised jobs and then wound up imprisoned at sea, working in sordid conditions where accidents could happen at any time — one man tells the gruesome tale of his friend getting decapitated by a fishing net — and where escape was the only viable option. But even if they did manage to get free, the men were often hunted down and thrown into illegal prisons run by the fishing corporation, which was in cahoots with local police.

It will play at the Harris Theater in the Cultural District (map), though tickets and showtimes are not yet available.

"An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana," April 13 at Pitt.

via volunteerbali.org

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana" on April 13.

An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana features a pre-performance lecture by Dr. Meghan Hynson, puppetry by Ida Bagus Anom Suryawan assisted by Ida Ayu Kumalayoni, and Gender Wayang Music performed by Meghan Hynson, Yang Shuo, Wangcaixuan Zhang, and Annie Valdes.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map) and tickets are available for purchase online.

A Night of Gamelan, April 12 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Gamelan Ensemble will hold its annual A Night of Gamelan on April 12.

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 event.

The performance starts at 8:00 pm in Bellefield Hall Auditorium (map) and tickets are available online.

Balinese Offerings Workshop, April 7 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Department of Music will present a Balinese Offerings Workshop on Sunday, April 7.

Learn how to make beautiful palm and floral offerings in the traditional Balinese style with expert artisan Ida Ayu Kumalayoni.
A brief lecture on offerings in Bali will be followed by a hands-on workshop.

Event is free and open to the public!

It will run from 2:00 to 3:30 pm in 837 William Pitt Union (map).

"An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana," April 13 at Pitt.

via volunteerbali.org

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana" on April 13.

An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana features a pre-performance lecture by Dr. Meghan Hynson, puppetry by Ida Bagus Anom Suryawan assisted by Ida Ayu Kumalayoni, and Gender Wayang Music performed by Meghan Hynson, Yang Shuo, Wangcaixuan Zhang, and Annie Valdes.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map) and tickets are available for purchase online.

A Night of Gamelan, April 12 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Gamelan Ensemble will hold its annual A Night of Gamelan on April 12.

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 event.

The performance starts at 8:00 pm in Bellefield Hall Auditorium (map) and tickets are now available online.

Indonesian-Singaporean film Buffalo Boys at Parkway Theater, from January 18.

The 2018 Indonesian-Singaporean film Buffalo Boys will play at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from January 18. An A.V. Club review provides a summary:

Set in the late 19th century, Buffalo Boys stars Ario Bayu and Yoshi Sudarso as brothers Jamar and Suwo, who return to their Javanese ancestral village after decades of exile to avenge their father’s murder at the hands of sadistic colonial administrator Van Trach (Reinout Bussemaker). They bring with them not only an arsenal of heavy-duty firepower, but also a certain gunslinger swagger[.]

Showtime information is available online. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) at Parkway Theater, from August 24.

The 2018 movie Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) will play at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from August 24. A June New York Times review writes:

An unwavering slow burn, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” goes down exactly as announced. Marlina, a young widow living in remote Indonesia, spills blood in a story that plays out in four discrete acts. Each of the titled acts telegraphs some impending event (“The Robbery,” “The Birth”) and is clearly meant to create a mild sense of anticipation, much like the movie’s own explanatory title. Mostly, these are self-aware art-film touches ornamenting a blunt rape-revenge story that leans heavily and sometimes effectively on its sweeping landscapes, aesthetic violence, nods to Sergio Leone and what comes across as an overt debt to Jia Zhang-ke’s “Touch of Sin.”

The movie plays on August 24 (7:00 pm and 9:00 pm), August 25 (5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm), August 28 (7:00 pm), August 29 (7:00 pm, 9:00 pm), and August 30 (7:00 pm). The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map). The movie will also play throughout Pittsburgh in September as part of the Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival.

Selections from September's Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival free for Pitt students, faculty, and staff.

The University of Pittsburgh's campus will host several screenings of next month's Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, and these selections will be free to those students, faculty, and staff with valid Pitt ID cards. These screenings include:

• Alifu the Prince/ss (阿莉芙; Taiwan, 2017) - September 28, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 8:30
• Dynamite Graffiti (素敵なダイナマイトスキャンダル; Japan, 2018) - September 29, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 9:00
• Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak; Indonesia+Malaysia+Thailand, 2018) - September 23, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 7:30
• Missing Johnny (強尼．凱克; Taiwan, 2017) - September 28, Alumni Hall at 7:30
• Mori, the Artist's Habitat (モリのいる場所; Japan, 2018) - September 23, Alumni Hall at 5:00 pm; September 29, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 3:00
• The Return (Denmark+South Korea, 2018) - September 23, 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium at 5:30

2018 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival schedule just released; includes films from China, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan.

Tickets went on sale today for the 2018 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, and this year's iteration includes films from. The festival runs from September 21 through September 30 at several theaters in the Pittsburgh areas, and films include:

• Alifu the Prince/ss (阿莉芙; Taiwan, 2017) - September 24, September 28
• Dynamite Graffiti (素敵なダイナマイトスキャンダル; Japan, 2018) - September 26, September 29 in Oakland, and September 29 downtown
• Marlina The Murder in Four Acts (Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak; Indonesia+Malaysia+Thailand, 2018) - September 23, September 29
• Missing Johnny (強尼．凱克; Taiwan, 2017) - September 28, September 30
• Mori, the Artist's Habitat (モリのいる場所; Japan, 2018) - September 23, September 29
• Short Film Presentation: China
• Smaller and Smaller Circles (Philippines, 2017) - September 28, September 29
• The Return (Denmark+South Korea, 2018) - September 23, September 29
• Toys & Pets (阿唐奇遇; China, 2017) - September 29, September 30
• Wrath of Silence (暴裂无声; China, 2017) - September 25, September 30

University Gamelan 20th Anniversary Concert, April 13 and 14 at Pitt.

Poster for the 1998 Gamelan Ensemble concert.

The University of Pittsburgh's Gamelan Ensemble, which "plays the gamelan music of the Sundanese people" of Indonesia, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with concerts on April 13 and 14. "Gamelan," explains the Department of Music,

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 event.

University Gamelan 20th Anniversary Concert, April 13 and 14 at Pitt.

Poster for the 1998 Gamelan Ensemble concert.

The University of Pittsburgh's Gamelan Ensemble, which "plays the gamelan music of the Sundanese people" of Indonesia, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with concerts on April 13 and 14. "Gamelan," explains the Department of Music,

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 event.

"Indonesia-Korea Earthquake Dialogue," October 27 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs will host an "Indonesia-Korea Earthquake Dialogue" on October 27.

The Global Earthquakes Group: Response, Recovery, and Resilience (GERRR) will have an event, "Indonesia-Korea Earthquake Dialogue" at 12:00p.m., Friday, October 27 in Posvar Hall, room 3800. The group is funded by GSPIA’s Fund for Student Initiatives and hosting a series of dialogues in order to provide GSPIA students and the public the opportunity to participate in conversations with experts on the character of seismic risk, as well as earthquakes that occurred in Ecuador, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, and Nepal within the past two years. Dr. Taieb Znati (Chair of Department of Computer Science, School of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh) and YoonAh Shin(Graduate Student Researcher at GSPIA's Center for Disaster Management) will talk about Hazard SEES Project in Padang, Indonesia and Ji Sun Ryu (Director of Disaster Recovery Support Division, the Ministry of Interior and Safety, South Korea) will discuss governmental responses in Kyeongju Earthquakes, South Korea.

The event runs from 12:00 to 1:30 pm in 3800 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public. The event listing notes that Korean and Indonesian food will be provided.

Korean and Japanese movies highlight second half of Silk Screen Film Festival, through September 23.

The annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival runs this year from September 16 through 24, with several East Asian films getting a second screening this week.

Year of Indonesia at Chatham University.

The topic of Chatham University's annual Global Focus Program will be Indonesia in 2017-18. The Global Focus Program

concentrates on one country, region, or subject of global relevance each year and enables the university community to engage in a comprehensive study of that subject through coursework, class assignments, campus events, community activities, overseas travels, co-curricular initiatives, and service learning projects.

Upcoming events for 2017-18 Year of Indonesia will be announced through the year. This is the first Asian country featured by the Global Focus Program since Vietnam in 2011-12.

Inspired by Gamelan: Music by Indonesian and Western Composers, April 8 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "Inspired by Gamelan: Music by Indonesian and Western Composers" at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on April 8.

Pitt’s University Gamelan will present “Inspired by Gamelan: Music by Indonesian and Western Composers” on April 8th at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Gamelan comprises mainly percussion instruments including tuned gongs, metal-keyed instruments, and drums (as well as bamboo flute and voice). This instrumentation has a unique capacity to saturate the air with resonances that reach from rumbling lows to shimmering highs. The concert will feature student performers and two artists-in-residence: Endang Sukandar and Endang Rukandi.

General admission tickets are $8.50 in advance or $12 at the door; Pitt students are free and non-Pitt students and senior citizens pay $5 in advance or $8 at the door. The Frick Fine Arts building is located in Oakland (map), across from Schenley Plaza and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

"Gamelan Fusion: New and Traditional Music of West Java" concert at Pitt, April 9.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will host "Gamelan Fusion: New and Traditional Music of West Java" on Saturday, April 9.

Pitt’s University Gamelan will present “Gamelan Fusion: New and Traditional Music of West Java” on April 9th at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Gamelan comprises mainly percussion instruments including tuned gongs, metal-keyed instruments, and drums (as well as bamboo flute and voice). This instrumentation has a unique capacity to saturate the air with resonances that reach from rumbling lows to shimmering highs. The concert will feature student performers and two artists-in-residence: composer Ismet Ruchimat and vocalist Masyuning.

. . .

Each year the University Gamelan’s annual spring concert is the culmination of its Artist-in-Residence Program that offers Pitt students a rare opportunity to study music, dance, and theater with some of Indonesia’s finest artists.

The concert starts at 8:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map). Tickets are currently available online and are free for Pitt students with a valid student ID card. Non-Pitt students and general admission are $5 and $8.50 in advance, respectively, or $8 and $12 at the door.

Documentary The Look of Silence free at Parkway Theater, October 2 and 3.

Citing poor attendance at August showings of the film, the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks will show the 2014 documentary The Look of Silence for free on October 2 and 3. A synopsis of the documentary on the Indonesian killings of 1965 and 1966, via the film's website:

Through [director Joshua] Oppenheimer's footage of the perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.

On September 3, the theater posted on Facebook that a total of 11 people saw the film during the initial eight screenings there.

The Friday, October 2 showing will be at 7:00 pm, and the October 3rd showing at 5:45 pm. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map), a few miles west of the North Side.

Documentary The Look of Silence in Pittsburgh, from August 28.

The 2014 documentary The Look of Silence, on the Indonesian killings of 1965 and 1966, will play in McKees Rocks and in Regent Square on August 28. A synopsis, from the film's website:

Through [director Joshua] Oppenheimer's footage of the perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.

Ticket information has not yet been released. The documentary will play at the Regent Square Theater from August 28 to September 3, and at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from the 28th.

Documentary The Look of Silence coming to Pittsburgh in August.

The Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks announced on the 29th that the 2014 documentary The Look of Silence, on the Indonesian killings of 1965 and 1966, will play there and in Regent Square on August 28. A synopsis, from the film's website:

Through [director Joshua] Oppenheimer's footage of the perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.

Ticket information has not yet been released.