"Feeling of Freedom: Japanese and American Wartime Films on the Liberation of the Philippines, 1943-45," March 26 at Pitt.

Via 서울대학교.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Takashi Fujitani and his talk "Feeling of Freedom: Japanese and American Wartime Films on the Liberation of the Philippines, 1943-45" on March 26.

Philippine Nationality Room construction hoped to begin May 2018.

This month's Nationality Rooms Newsletter reports on the progress toward a Philippine Nationality Room.

The PNR Task Force has had a very busy year fundraising so that the construction of the Philippine Nationality Room can begin in May 2018. They held a Philippine Movie Marathon and on August 6 held a “Merienda Cena” (high tea) - Saklohohan” (rescue) fundraiser. PAPG and FAAP provided an entertainment. Josie Crooks provided music entertainment.

The PNR Task Force met the required minimum for the Facilities Management to bid for the construction of the Philippine Nationality Room. The Room is scheduled for construction in May 2018.

The preliminary designs of the room come from Popi Laudico, who writes:

The room is designed to incorporate the look of the traditional Philippine Bahay na Bato circa 1820.

KANTO KanKitchen Filipino-style pig roast in Lawrenceville, October 30.

Spirit in Lawrenceville will host the next KANTO KanKitchen event, a Filipino-style pig roast on October 30. Kanto, explains the official website, is a noun meaning

corner; place where two streets meet;
to reference a location of an event or venue;

"KANTO," in Pittsburgh, are gatherings at different
locations curated by Chef Rafael Vencio with a
seasonally driven menu for each occasion.

Documentary Rescue in the Philippines free at Pitt, October 22.

The 2013 documentary Rescue in the Philippines will play at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map) on October 22.

2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, September 16 through 24.

The 2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival will run from September 16 through 24 at several Pittsburgh-area theaters. This year's iteration includes selections from Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Philippines.

2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival includes selections from Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Philippines.

The lineup for the 2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival was announced tonight and it includes selections from across East and Southeast Asia, as well as a Chinese Short Films Presentation. Full-length films include: Close-Knit (彼らが本気で編むときは), Harmonium (淵に立つ), and Himeanole (ヒメアノ～ル) from Japan; The Bacchus Lady (죽여주는 여자) and Missing (미씽: 사라진 여자) from Korea; Old Stone (老石) from China; 1985's Taipei Story (青梅竹馬) from Taiwan; Interchange from Malaysia; Ma'Rosa from the Philippines; and Pop Aye, a Singaporean-Thai film that played in Pittsburgh last week.

Selections in the Chinese Short Films Presentation are: "The Stilted Building", "103 Days of Francis Xavier in China", "Blooming Rape Flowers", "Unrest", and "My Daddy Eric Tsang".

The festival runs from September 16 through 24 at theaters throughout Pittsburgh. Tickets and showtime information will be available later in the month.

Fundraising underway for new Philippine Center in West Mifflin.

The Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh is raising funds to convert the former Fellowship Hall of Resurrection Church in West Mifflin into the region's first Philippine Center. The FAAP President writes in the latest FAAP newsletter:

For the past 40 years it has been our dream to have a home for the Filipino American community in Pittsburgh. A place where we can have offices for our staff; conduct business meetings, social gatherings and community service events; a Filipino school, community kitchen, storage for costumes, cultural exhibit, and library among others. In 2012, a group of FAAP directors and members was tasked with revisiting the dream. In 2014, a feasibility study was formulated to answer fundamental questions and to provide the framework by which we can proceed to establish and operate a Philippine center in Pittsburgh. Soon after, the board created a Philippine Center Committee that has been working ever since to find a suitable property, and, in partnership with the Fundraising Committee, to seek potential donors/benefactors and to come up with fundraising strategies.

Filipino Marathon Film Series continues with One More Try in Oakland, February 18.

The 2012 movie One More Try will play at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium in Oakland on January 14, the second installment in the Filipino Marathon Film Series presented by the Filipino American Association of Pitsburgh. A synopsis by Reel Advice:

Six years ago, Edward (Dingdong Dantes) had an affair with a local Baguio girl named Grace (Angel Locsin). What Edward didn't know is that he bore her a child. Now, at present time, Botchok is now five and unfortunately, he has a fatal sickness that needs a rare donor - one that his father might be able to provide. As fate would have it, it turns out that both Grace and Edward don't have the necessary bone marrow for Botchok. Botchok's doctor tells them that the easiest and fastest way to get a compatible donor is for them to bear a new child. This is easier said than done as Edward is already married to his long time love Jacqueline (Angelica Panganiban) and Grace has a loving boyfriend (Zanjoe Marudo) by her side. As Botchok's sickness gets worse, the two and their partners must decide if they must do the ultimate taboo to save a child's life.

The event runs from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the Frick Fine Arts Building (map). Single tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Philippine Nationality Room fund.

Filipino Marathon Film Series continues with Sonata in Oakland, January 14.

The 2013 movie Sonata will play at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium in Oakland on January 14, the second installment in the Filipino Marathon Film Series presented by the Filipino American Association of Pitsburgh.

An opera diva, on the verge of a nervous breakdown after losing her voice, returns home to Negros Occidental and through a young boy rediscovers her art and life. As the world of the well-traveled opera diva collides with the world of a young boy in the throes of exploration, both discover the nature of art and the healing power of love.

The event runs from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the Frick Fine Arts Building (map). Single tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Philippine Nationality Room fund.

Filipino Marathon Film Series begins with Amigo at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, December 16.

The 2010 Filipino-American movie Amigo will play at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium in Oakland on December 16. the first installment in the Filipino Marathon Film Series by the Filipino American Association of Pitsburgh. A 2011 A.V. Club review provides a summary:

Amigo, the latest from writer-director John Sayles (Lone Star, Matewan), takes place in 1900 during the American occupation of the Philippines, and it could almost be mistaken for a straight historical feature, if not for Sayles’ established political bent and the hard-bitten colonel played by Sayles favorite Chris Cooper. When Cooper puts a detachment of Americans in charge of a small Filipino baryo, he grumbles about his focus on “winning hearts and minds.” When he thinks a local has information he isn’t sharing, he subjects him to a waterboarding-like torture—then cheerfully proclaims it isn’t torture, since it doesn’t leave physical scars. Ultimately, Amigo is as much about Iraq and Afghanistan as it is about a century-old chapter of history—and it’s as much about human nature as it is about either era.

The event starts at 6:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium in Oakland (map). Single tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Philippine Nationality Room fund.

Reception and Artist Talk with Xyza Cruz Bacani, December 14 at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild.

Photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani will be at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild on December 14 to discuss her exhibit Modern Slavery, which has been at the MCG since October 17.

Xyza Cruz Bacani was born in The Philippines, and like many Filipinos, she left her home country in search of economic opportunity. As a domestic worker in Hong Kong, Xyza (pronounced “sigh zah”) began taking photographs in her spare time. Her hobby quickly became a passion, both for the therapeutic effect it had on her, and because it awakened an innate drive for self expression.

Through social media, Xyza’s work began to catch the eye of the international photography community. Not only were her photos visually striking, and her story compelling, her subject matter was evocative. Her photos depicted the gritty beauty of city life, but from a viewpoint that encouraged sensitivity, not sensationalism.

Though her employer was notably kindhearted—she lent Xyza the money for her first camera—many foreign domestic workers suffer countless abuses. Xyza’s work documents and exposes these conditions, and as she has grown as a photographer, so has her work. In addition to Hong Kong, she has recently photo-documented human trafficking in New York City and Abu Dhabi.

Her current exhibit, Modern Slavery, focuses on the struggles of foreign domestic workers, and the abuses they often suffer.

The event runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and is free and open to the public. The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild is located at at 1815 Metropolitan St. (map) on the North Side.

Tinig Ng Bayan: An Evening of Filipino Voices with La-Ti-Do, November 12 in Shadyside.

The Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh will present Tinig Ng Bayan: An Evening of Filipino Voices on November 12 at Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside.

Modern Slavery at MCG from October 17; Reception and Artist Talk with Xyza Cruz Bacani, December 14.

Photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani will be at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild on December 14 to open and discuss her exhibit Modern Slavery.

University of the Philippines Concert Choir in Pittsburgh, June 11.

The Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh will host the University of the Philippines Concert Choir and comedian Nanette Inventor in Oakland on June 11.

Filipino movie The Love Affair at AMC Loews Waterfront from August 21.

The 2015 Filipino movie The Love Affair will play at AMC Loews Waterfront from Friday, August 21. A press release summarizes the film, which was released in the Philippines on August 12:

[T]he movie tells the story of Vince ([Richard] Gomez) and Tricia ([Dawn] Zulueta), a married couple undergoing problems after she seems to have cheated on her husband.

It becomes more complicated when Vince crosses paths with Adie ([Bea] Alonzo), a lawyer he meets while seeking to have his marriage with Tricia annulled.

Showtime and ticket information is available from the theater's website.

Born Out of Place book launch at Pitt, September 11.

The University of Pittsburgh's Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program will host the stateside book launch for Born Out of Place: Migrant Mothers and the Politics of International Migration by professor Nicole Constable. The talk will be held on September 11 from 4:00 to 5:30 in room 602 of the Cathedral of Learning. A summary from the GS&W webpage:

Nicole Constable is a professor in the Department of Anthropology and the director of the Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Her latest book, Born Out of Place: Migrant Mothers and the Politics of International Migration was co-published by the University of California Press and Hong Kong University Press, and had its first official launch in Hong Kong in June. At this University of Pittsburgh book launch, Constable will speak on her work, and Shalini Puri (Department of English) and Lara Putnam (Department of History) will respond.

Based on research and interviews conducted in 2011 and 2012, the book tells the stories of Indonesian and Filipino migrant women, their South Asian, African, Chinese, and Western expatriate partners, and their Hong Kong–born babies. The main focus is on the often painful and poignant struggles of women as they consider abortion, adoption, keeping a child, remaining in Hong Kong as “illegal” overstayers, or returning home as single mothers. This ethnography provides insight into global problems of mobility, family, gender, and citizenship, and points to the consequences, creative responses, melodramas, inequalities, and tragedies of labor and migration policies.

Asian student groups holding events on Pitt campus this weekend.

Several of the University of Pittsburgh's largest Asia-focused student groups will be holding events on campus this weekend to welcome members old and new. The Facebook pages listed below offer more details, but the events generally include food, socializing, and a chance to meet the groups' organizers.

* Asian Student Alliance - Friday, August 28, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, William Pitt Union Assembly Room

* Vietnamese Student Association First Social on the Lawn - Friday, August 28, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, William Pitt Union patio and lawn

* Korean Culture Association [KCA] First Social - Friday, August 28, 4:45 to 6:45 pm, William Pitt Union lawn

* Filipino Student Association [FSA] First Social - Saturday, August 30, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, 630 William Pitt Union

* Chinese American Student Association [CASA] - Sunday, August 31, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, William Pitt Union lawn

* Japanese Culture Association [JCA] Ice Cream Social - Sunday, August 31, 5:00 - 7:00 pm, 548 William Pitt Union

The events will be held in or around the William Pitt Union, located at the intersection of Forbes and Bigelow Blvds. in Oakland (map).

Chinese, Filipino performances at Pittsburgh International Children's Festival, May 14 - 18.

The Pittsburgh International Children's Festival starts tomorrow and runs through the 18th. It's moved this year from Oakland to the Cultural District downtown. Events of relevance to this blog include: the Organization of Chinese Americans Youth Ensemble and Phillipine Folk Dances, both on the 18th at Lilypad Park (.pdf map) on the corner of 8th St. and Penn Ave.

CineFestAsia in Erie, May 9 and 10.

The Erie Asian Pacific American Association and the Film Society of North Western Pennsylvania will present CineFestAsia on May 9 and 10 at the Erie Art Museum (map). Friday's opening reception is free and is followed by the world premiere of the Korean documentary Entering the Second Half (잘 살거야) and a discussion with the filmmaker, Heyjin Jun. The Korean title translates to "I Will Live Well" and is

a short documentary on victims of leprosy who have been exiled from society for decades but came to dream of their new lives and talked about hope for the future at their ages of 70s since they learned reading, writing, singing, computer and performing on the stage for the first time of their lives. They are scared but try to step forward towards the society which once abandoned them.

(The name of the South Korean island is Sorok-do, and a Google search will lead to more on the topic.)

Singapore's Ilo Ilo will also run on the 9th, while Transit, The Lady, and Bhaag Milka Bhaag will play on the 10th. Tickets are $5 each. Times and trailers are available by visiting the Erie APAA website and clicking CineFestAsia.

A few movies of note from the 2014 Silk Screen Asian-American Film Festival, April 26 through May 4.

The 2014 Silk Screen Asian-American Film Festival schedule was announced on March 26, with times and locations on the Silk Screen website. The annual festival runs from April 26 through May 4, with screenings at four local theaters. Here's a quick look at the festival's movies and short films from East Asia and thus of most relevance to this blog:






A Time in Quchi (暑假作业), Taiwan; Bunta, China; Cheong, South Korea; Confession of Murder (내가 살인범이다), South Korea; The Garden of Words (言の葉の庭), Japan; Hide and Seek (숨바꼭질), South Korea; Mourning Recipe (四十九日のレシピ), Japan; Norte, End of History (Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan); Philippines; Touch of the Light (逆光飛翔), Taiwan; Trap Street, China; Unforgiven (許されざる者), Japan; Why Don't You Play in Hell? (地獄でなぜ悪い), Japan.