2025 Japanese animated film cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood (cocoon 〜ある夏の少女たちより〜) in Pittsburgh, from September 4.

The 2025 Japanese animated film cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood (cocoon 〜ある夏の少女たちより〜) will play in Pittsburgh from September 4. A synopsis from the distributor GKIDS:

San and Mayu attend an all-girls school on a warm and tranquil island. When war reaches their shores, they are ordered to help nurse the wounded in a military hospital hidden away in a cave. Amidst escalating death and brutality, the friends struggle to find solace in their fragile lives.

Based on the manga by Machiko Kyo, cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood is the debut feature from Yukimitsu Ina and animation studio SASAYURI, founded by former Studio Ghibli animator Hitomi Tateno. The project brings together legendary veteran animators like Akihiko Yamashita and Shinji Otsuka, known for their work on PRINCESS MONONOKE and THE BOY AND THE HERON, with a new, young generation of animating talent. Featuring a stirring score from kensuke ushio (A Silent Voice, Chainsaw Man), the film is a devastating yet beautiful plea for peace.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront (tickets here) and the Row House Hollywood, (tickets here). The Row House Hollywood is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map), one block south of the Potomac T Station.

2025 Japanese film Exit 8 (8番出口) returns to Pittsburgh, September 4 through 10, part of Holding (Liminal) Space film series.

The 2025 Japanese film Exit 8 (8番出口) will return to Pittsburgh on September 4, part of a Holding (Liminal) Space film series at the Row House Lawrenceville.

A man trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?

The movie played in Pittsburgh throughout much of April. Tickets for this next run are available online. The Row House Lawrenceville is a single-screen theater located at 4115 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

2025 Japanese animated film The Last Blossom (ホウセンカ) in Pittsburgh, August 30 and 31.

The 2025 Japanese animated film The Last Blossom (ホウセンカ) will play in Pittsburgh on August 30 and 31. A synopsis from GKIDS, the distributor:

Former yakuza Akutsu is serving life in prison after a middling career in the underworld. On the night he lays dying in his cell, he reminisces with his only companion, a smart-mouthed flower growing out of a can, about the choices that brought him here, the woman he loved, and a child he would give everything to protect. Is redemption out of reach?

From director Baku Kinoshita and writer Kazuya Konomoto, creators of ODDTAXI, and award-winning Studio CLAP (Pompo the Cinephile), THE LAST BLOSSOM is a thrillingly original work from animation’s most inventive new talent. Moving across time and memory, the film is an unforgettable meditation on found family, sacrifice, and the complicated pieces that join together to make a life.

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

Free "We Learn: Japanese Study" at Carnegie Library branch downtown, Fridays from September 4.

"Osaka, Japan" by Pedro Szekely (Creative Commons).

The CLP - Downtown branch will host free "We Learn: Japanese Study" sessions on Fridays from September 4 through October 2.

Enjoy learning the basics of the Japanese language and culture from a certified, native Japanese instructor. We will learn greetings, etiquette and manners, survival phrases for traveling to Japan, visiting interesting tourist locations, and ordering food and shopping. We will also learn reading and writing – Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Emoji, Anime and Manga. Each session is designed to be interactive and fun. The agenda can vary based on the interests of the students.
・10:30 – 11:00 (Writing)
・11:00 – 12:00 (Conversation)
We Learn groups are volunteer-facilitated peer learning groups.

The library is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

2026 International Tour of Taiwan Eats and Mandarin Learning Experience, September 5 and 6.

Taiwan Aloha and the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning will present a two-day "2026 International Tour of Taiwan Eats and Mandarin Learning Experience" on September 5 and 6.

DAY 1: THE CULINARY SHOWCASE

Location: Golden Leaf Bistro

Enjoy an exclusive culinary affair featuring a live cooking demonstration by our executive visiting chef, followed by a full-service, sit-down dining experience with a bespoke curated menu. (Food and demo included; alcohol available for purchase separately.)

DAY 2: THE ART OF TAIWANESE TEA & HERITAGE

Location: Museum Lab (2nd Floor)

Immerse yourself in Taiwanese culture with a master-led tea ceremony demonstration and tea history presentation. Includes a guided tea tasting, an array of gourmet snacks and Mid-Autumn mooncakes, plus an exclusive luxury prize drawing!

Tickets are available online at the above links; day 1 is held in Cranberry while day 2 is held at Museum Lab, part of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in an adjacent building, on the North Side.

Screening of 1974 Isao Fujisawa film Bye Bye Love at Mr. Roboto Project, September 12.

Signal Otter Films is screening a 2025 restoration of the 1974 Isao Fujisawa film Bye Bye Love at Mr. Roboto Project on September 12. More details, from their Instagram post announcing the first Pittsburgh-area screening of Bye Bye Love:

In partnership with Kani Releasing, Signal Otter Films presents this landmark of Japanese queer cinema and the only feature film from Isao Fujisawa!

Doors at 7. Show at 8 with a runtime of 85 minutes. Snacks and drinks provided. Masking highly recommended. Suggested donation $12 or pay what you can.

Lost and nihilistic drifter Utamaro chances upon Giko, a female-presenting shoplifter who immediately catches his eye. One thing leads to another and the couple soon find themselves on the lam for murder. This provides for a delightful pretext to explore notions of societal malaise, free love and gender fluidity in a rapidly evolving 1970s Japan, as both Utamaro and Giko begin to know each other on the road by way of a variety of encounters, alternating between surrealistic, psychedelic and sexual.

The sole feature film directed by Isao Fujisawa, who learned his craft on New Wave classics such as Woman in the Dunes (1964) and the Face of Another (1966), Bye Bye Love is a deeply personal reckoning with sexual identity. Bridging the distance between Pierrot le Fou (1965), Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) with an impeccable sense of style, splashes of Godardian color as well as strong anti-imperialist and existentialist themes, this iconic jishu eiga (self-produced film) was long-thought lost until the negatives were found in 2018 and restored for screenings – facilitated by director and programmer Akihiro Suzuki. With a runtime of 85 minutes, a new landmark in the history of Japanese queer cinema, this is the first screening of Bye Bye Love in Pittsburgh!

Taiwanese musician Nini Music performing in Pittsburgh area (New Kensington), October 20.

Taiwanese musician Nini Music will perform in the Pittsburgh area on October 20 as part of her "East Goes West 2026" tour. From her official website, describing her as a "musical shapeshifter":

Nini, a distinguished musician hailing from Taiwan, has dedicated over two decades to mastering and performing traditional Chinese folk instruments. Her extensive experience has taken her on tours across Europe, the USA, Canada, China, Japan, and throughout her homeland. Nini's innovative approach to music involves playing genres such as heavy metal, rock, and EDM on traditional instruments like the Ruan, Liuqin, and San Xian. She also performs on a unique electric lute known as the DaoYu, which she uses to create a distinctive and modern sound that bridges cultural and musical boundaries.

The shows starts at 7:00 pm and tickets are available online. Preserving Underground is located at 1101 5th Ave., roughly 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh (map).

1998 Taiwanese drama-musical film The Hole (洞) in Pittsburgh, September 21 through 24.

The 1998 Taiwanese drama-musical film The Hole (洞) will play in Pittsburgh from September 21 through 24.

Set on the eve of the 21st century, Tsai Ming-liang’s fourth feature turns a crumbling Taipei apartment block into one of cinema’s strangest and most tender end-of-the-world romances. Perennial muse Lee Kang-sheng (“the man upstairs”) and Yang Kuei-mei (“the woman downstairs”) are among the building’s last holdouts, refusing evacuation as a mysterious epidemic spreads outside and rain batters the city without end. When a plumber leaves behind an unfinished repair, the man’s floor opens into an accidental passage between two sealed-off lives, turning leaks, trash, pesticide, and petty territorial warfare into a strange form of courtship. Among the most disarmingly funny and cathartic entries in Tsai’s filmography, The Hole finds hope in a world that seems to be falling apart, breaking its deadpan plague scenario open with splendorous Grace Chang musical numbers and poker-faced slapstick.

The film plays at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online.

2026 Japanese film The Samurai and the Prisoner (黒牢城) in Pittsburgh, September 11 - 17.

The 2026 Japanese film The Samurai and the Prisoner (黒牢城) will play in Pittsburgh from September 11 through 17.

When Lord Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against the tyrannical Oda (Bando Shingo), he finds himself besieged within the walls of his own castle. Isolated, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court, plunging the fortress into fear and suspicion. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei Kuroda (Masaki Suda), a brilliant yet dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon. Helped by his wife Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and his most loyal generals, Murashige must uncover the truth before the castle falls.

It was the #2 grossing film in Japan its opening weekend. The film plays at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online.

Five episodes of Mob Psycho 100 in Pittsburgh-area theater, July 20.

July Crunchyroll Anime Nights will present five episodes of Mob Psycho 100 on July 20.

Crunchyroll Anime Nights is bringing MOB PSYCHO 100 to the big screen! To celebrate Mob Psycho 100's 10th anniversary we'll be showing 5 amazing episodes - chosen by YOU, the fans - that will take you through all of Mob's story. Mob is an 8th grader with powerful psychic abilities who wants to be normal. When not exorcising evil spirits he attempts to suppress his powers, causing stunted emotions. But when he hits 100 percent, his pent-up feelings unleash a dark power. Can he survive the psychic strain?

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

Candlelight: The Best of Joe Hisaishi, September 20 at Omni William Penn Hotel.

The Omni William Penn Hotel will host a Candlelight Concert on September 20, The Best of Joe Hisaishi.

⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Pittsburgh. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Joe Hisaishi at Omni William Penn Hotel under the gentle glow of candlelight.

Bilingual Chinese-English story time returns to Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill this fall.

The Chinese Library for Children will present Bilingual Story Hour monthly this fall at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill, representing a return of Chinese-English storytimes that were frequent pre-COVID.

Join us for stories, songs, movement and hands-on activities–designed to introduce children to language and culture through play and shared reading.

Story Hours are scheduled from 10:30 to 11:30 am on September 12, October 10, and November 14 at the Squirrel Hill branch at 5801 Forbes Ave. (map). The Chinese Library for Children is

a community-grown nonprofit initiative that supports children’s access to Chinese-language reading through shared resources and local collaboration.

JADED presents PONY UP, Year of the Fire Horse Celebration, June 20 in Lawrenceville.

JADED Pittsburgh, the city's first Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) artist collective, will present PONY UP, a concert in celebration of the Year of the Fire Horse, on June 20.

PONY UP is a festival along the Allegheny River ft. performances, live music, and AAPI vendors sharing art, food, & services.

JADED presents PONY UP to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse. On the cusp of the summer solstice, we will harness the power of the sun to uncover our wildest and most unnameable desires. We seek to enliven ways before and beyond the forces of capitalism, fascism, and imperialism that have conspired to deaden our dreaming. What spiritual traditions and collective rituals can give us strength to return ourselves to ourselves? To dance, to scream, to nourish, to mourn, to ghost, to river, to attune to what has been attenuated. To take the reins and pony UP.

🐴🐴PERFORMER LINEUP🐴🐴
LEXCD
FORMOSA
Viii Dorsey
Philophilm
412 Step
Monkey Wenches LLC

We're also looking for volunteers, which includes a free ticket to the event. Help us make this party a reality! Sign up here.

Tickets are available online. The event will be held at Tree Pittsburgh,located at 32 62nd St in Lawrenceville (map). 

2026 Philippine film Us in the End (Tayo sa Wakas) in Pittsburgh, June 12.

The 2026 Philippine film Us in the End (Tayo sa Wakas) will play in Pittsburgh on June 12.

Long-time couple, Cisco and Cheska, once partners in life and career, are forced to confront how their ambitions started to put them at competing paths.

As they ultimately drift apart, they take their promised "break up trip" to decide if they should finally let go of each other or fight for their love one last time.

It plays locally at the Cinemark theater in Monroeville and tickets are available online.

Author Min Jin Lee returns to Pittsburgh November 16 for Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series.

Author Min Jin Lee will return to Pittsburgh on November 16 as part of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Ten Evenings lecture series.

At last, the National Book Award finalist and NYT bestselling author of Pachinko returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic: Min Jin Lee has written a masterpiece by turns sweeping and intimate, one that reckons with ambition and moderation, lust and loyalty, personal dreams and familial loyalty.

In schools and churches, hotel rooms and nail salons, law firms and fried-fish shops; in cramped, dingy apartments and luxury, gated communities, the men, women, and children in American Hagwon struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow less forgiving with each passing year.

2008 Japanese animated movie Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) in Pittsburgh, June 13 - 17, part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2026.

The 2008 Japanese animated movie Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) will play in Pittsburgh from June 13 through 17, the first installment of Studio Ghibli Fest 2026.

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a heartwarming family adventure. When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea. Miyazaki’s breathtaking, imaginative world is brought to life with an all-star cast, featuring the voices of Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront; the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson; GQT Pittsburgh Mills Cinemas; and the Chartiers Valley Luxury 14 + PTX. Tickets are available online. Please note, the shows on June 13, 14 and 17 are dubbed in English, while the shows on June 15 and 16 are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Vietnamese restaurant Bela Kitchen soft opening today in East Liberty.

A new Vietnamese restaurant, Bela Kitchen, will be soft opening today in East Liberty. Located on the ground floor of 211 Tower at 211 N. Whitfield St. (map) in what was most recently Blue Sky Kitchen and Bar. It will be operated by the family behind Mola, the Novo Asian Food Hall in the Strip District and the Asian stationary store DooBoo that opened in January. Previous paperwork called the forthcoming spot Viet Lounge. Hours of operation are 11:30 am to 10:00 pm Sunday through Friday and 11:30 am to 11:00 pm on Saturdays.

Korean pansori pop band Leenalchi (이날치) in Pittsburgh, November 2.

The Korean pansori pop band Leenalchi (이날치) will perform in Pittsburgh on November 2, part of its world tour spanning Canada, the US, Europe, and an August show in Incheon. A brief biography, from the band's official site:

Imagine a musical version of Hamlet set to a juicy, tripped-out bass hook.

The psychedelic riffs are courtesy of Jang Young Gyu (that’s Mr. Jang to you), Leenalchi’s enigmatic leader. Born in 1968, Mr. Jang has witnessed the unprecedented popularity of Korean culture reach every corner of the planet from within. Even on this EP, you’ll find evidence of that reach in their cover of “Let’s Live for Today” by Los Angeles rock band, The Grass Roots. Leenalchi’s version was originally recorded for Kagonada’s acclaimed adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel, Pachinko, and was used as the theme song in the final episode.

In a landscape dominated by the K-pop industry, Mr. Jang represents the country’s small but dedicated indie music scene; he is also a prestigious film composer, scoring soundtracks for some of Korea’s most celebrated movies like Train to Busan, The Wailing, and The Good, the Bad, the Weird.

The band performs at 8:00 pm at the Warhol Museum, part of its Sound Series. Tickets are available online. The Andy Warhol Museum is located at 117 Sandusky Street on the North Shore (map).

Author Kelly Yang in Pittsburgh October 22, part of Words & Pictures series.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present author Kelly Yang on October 22, part of its Words & Pictures series.

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and pursue her writing dreams?

Kelly Yang is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the Front Desk series, winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature. Her books include Front Desk, Three Keys, Room to Dream, Parachutes, New From Here, and other middle grade and young adult novels. She was born in China and grew up in Los Angeles. She went to college at the age of 13 and graduated from UC Berkeley at the age of 17 and Harvard Law School at the age of 20. After law school, she founded The Kelly Yang Project, a writing and debating program for children in Asia. Prior to becoming a novelist, she wrote for many years for the South China Morning Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

The talk starts at 6:00 pm and will be held at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland (map). The event is free but registration is required.

2006 Japanese animated film Paprika (パプリカ) in 35mm at Row House Hollywood, June 27 and 28.

The 2006 Japanese animated film Paprika (パプリカ) will play at the Row House Hollywood on June 27 and 28, part of its MegaScreen series of screenings in 35 mm.

Experience cinema on our premium large format screen. Our main auditorium has 389 seats, a balcony, a top of the line digital projector, and 35/70 mm film capabilities

Tickets for the Satoshi Kon film are available online.

Satoshi Kon’s anime thriller stars a young dream detective named Paprika, who must stop terrorists from using a stolen machine that allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams. The reality and dreams blur, and chaos breaks out in a not-so-far-off future.

The Row House Hollywood is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map), one block south of the Potomac T Station.