"Bento" coming soon to Shadyside.

Work progresses on Bento, a new restaurant coming to Shadyside. It will be located at 5811 Ellsworth Ave. (map) in what was most recently Daphne Cafe. Chen's Realty, LLC, purchased the spot in December 2019.

Eddie Huang film Boogie in Pittsburgh, from March 5.

The upcoming Eddie Huang film Boogie will play in Pittsburgh from March 5. From the distributor:

From acclaimed writer, producer and restaurateur Eddie Huang comes his directorial debut Boogie, the coming-of-age story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA. While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must find a way to navigate a new girlfriend, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.

It will play locally at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson, the Cranberry Cinemas, and the Waterworks Cinemas.

2004 Malaysian horror film Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam, March 3 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 2004 Malaysian horror film Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam on March 3, the second installment in its Malaysian Horror Series.

Join us for a virtual series of films based on the Malay folktales of a blood-sucking ghost born from a woman who dies in childbirth. The smash hit premiered in April 1957 and screened for nearly three months at the local Cathay cinemas. Its success spawned two other sequels in 2004 and 2019. It is also said to have launched the Pontianak genre in Singapore and Malaysia, with rival Shaw producing its own Pontianak trilogy.

The movie begins at 7:00 pm, and registration is required for the online streaming link.

"An Evening of Traditional and Contemporary Japanese Music," February 26 (online) at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "An Evening of Traditional and Contemporary Japanese Music" on February 26.

Please join graduate students Devon Osamu Tipp (PhD candidate in Music Theory/Composition) and Kanoko Kamata (2nd year PhD student in Sociology) for an evening of traditional and contemporary music for shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and shamisen (three string spike lute). Music featured on the program will include traditional and solo works, and music by composers Elizabeth Brown and Nancy Beckman.

Kanoko Kamata is a second year PhD student at the Sociology Department and studying about social movements, especially how people are discouraged or encouraged to participate in social movements. Her late grandmother was a singer and Shamisen player of min’yo, folk songs. She started her Shamisen training in Tokyo in Ikuta ryu (Kyoto style). Now she is learning Shamisen from Sumie Kaneko in Yamada ryu (Tokyo/Edo style). For more information, please visit www.kanokokamata.com.

Pittsburgh based composer/performer Devon Osamu Tipp creates unorthodox musical worlds from ostensibly incompatible realms. An Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellow in Music Theory/Composition at the University of Pittsburgh, Tipp has studied traditional Japanese music both in the US and Japan, and has appeared at conferences and festivals in the US, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.greengiraffemusic.info

The online event starts at 7:00 pm and a link to the stream is available here.

"From Hanok to Hanbok: Traditional Iconography in Korean Hip-Hop Music Videos" by Dr. CedarBough Saeji, February 24 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. CedarBough Saeji and her talk "From Hanok to Hanbok: Traditional Iconography in Korean Hip-Hop Music Videos" on February 24 in the next installment of this term's Asia Pop series.

In her virtual lecture From Hanok to Hanbok: Traditional Iconography in Korean Hip-Hop Music Videos, Dr. Saeji will explore the contradictions and effects of the use of imagined and real Korean settings and traditional iconography in recent videos from Korean hip-hop artists. She investigates what symbols and icons are used to visually represent Korea in the videos, as they take a foreign genre and imbue it with Koreanness. These videos circulate and re-circulate a limited number of icons of Korea, because the images are meant not to portray pre-modern Korea in its complexity, but traditional Korea both as a symbol of national pride and as a (domestic and international) tourist destination where the palace is a backdrop and you wear a hanbok to create a visually striking Instagram post.

It starts at 6:30 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

2011 Taiwanese movie Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (賽德克·巴萊) February 23 at Pitt, followed by discussion with director.

The University of Pittsburgh's Taiwanese Student Association and Asian Studies Center will present a screening of the 2011 Taiwanese movie movie Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (賽德克·巴萊), followed by a discussion with director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) on February 23. The pre-registration deadline for the movie is February 21 at midnight, and registration has been opened to the public but due to a limited number of spots, preference will be given to Pitt and CMU students, faculty, and staff.

An overview of the movie, from a 2012 New York Times review:

Its story is based on the little-known Wushe Incident in 1930, when 300 warriors of the Seediq, an aboriginal people centered in Taiwan’s interior highlands, rose up against their Japanese oppressors. A brief historical preface explains that in 1895, the island of Taiwan was ceded by China to Japan, which subdued the native population and turned them into demoralized, alcoholic slaves. Steeped in mysticism, tribal folklore and Asian machismo, the film is a two-and-a-half-hour bloodbath that fetishizes the machete as the ultimate human slicing machine.

The movie starts at 5:00 pm, and the discussion at 8:30. Registration for the movie and registration for the discussion with Wei is required.

"Chinese Archive Collection and Project Initiative," February 25 at Pitt.

University of Pittsburgh East Asian Librarian Haihui Zhang will host an overview of its Chinese archives, "Chinese Archive Collection and Project Initiative," on February 25. The presentation begins at 3:00 pm and registration is required.

"2021 Lunar New Year Virtual Celebration," February 23 at Pitt.

via fourbrickstall (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center, Global Studies Center, and Institute for International Studies in Education will host the "2021 Lunar New Year Virtual Celebration" on February 23.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The event will occur in the evenning at Eastern Time because that is the best time for our global participants.

Join us for a virtual Lunar New Year celebration as we learn about the meanings and traditions of this important and festive holiday from global perspectives! All are invited!

It runs from 9:00 to 10:00 pm and is open to the Pitt community. Registration is required.

Netflix looking for a young Korean child for new Sandra Oh series filming locally.

Mosser Casting is looking for a local Korean child around one year of age for a Netflix series starring Sandra Oh. Those interested should email mosserextras@gmail.com; additional details and instructions below.

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) organizing COVID vaccine sign-ups for local seniors, offers Chinese-language support.

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) is organizing COVID vaccine sign-ups for local Chinese speakers 65 and older. From its Facebook page, with other languages to come soon:

**COVID-19 Vaccine sign-up for people 65 years and older. Info in other languages coming soon!** 申請COVID-19疫苗接種: http://bit.ly/37rzeu6
匹茲堡大學醫學中心(UPMC)目前致力於協助年滿65歲或以上人士接種2019新型冠狀病毒疫苗 (2/17/2021資訊)，亞太裔美國勞工聯盟匹茲堡分部 (APALA Pittsburgh) 在和匹茲堡大學醫學中心(UPMC)合作，協助年滿65歲或以上的民眾申請，您所提供的資訊只會和UPMC分享，UPMC將與年滿65歲或以上的申請者聯絡以確認申請者符合資格。
這個表格是針對年滿65歲或以上人士，年齡介於16-64之間且有特定醫療狀況的民眾可能符合賓州疫苗接種的資格，但並不符合本次的申請資格。
凡居住或工作在賓州的人士，疫苗費用全免。您無需任何醫療保險即可預約。
線上申請: http://bit.ly/37rzeu6
無法填寫線上表格的民眾，可以打 412-532-8517，我們的志工會在電話上協助你登記，若無人接聽請留言或傳短訊。
如有任何问题或需要协助填写表格，请發短信或留言至 412-532-8517 或来信 apalapgh@gmail.com。如您對接種疫苗有任何疑問，請諮詢您的醫療保健提供者。

"Coffee with Andrés" featuring Mai Khoi, February 26 and 28 with City of Asylum.

The City of Asylum's new "Coffee with Andrés" program will feature Vietnamese musician and activist Mai Khoi on February 26 and 28.

Take a coffee break with City of Asylum’s new Executive Director, Andrés Franco, in a new series of online chats called Coffee with Andrés.

Coffee is a central part of Andrés’ Colombian heritage and is one of his great passions. Coffee has stimulated conversation and ideas for hundreds of years, and coffeehouses have always been havens for free expression. Now Andrés, is creating his own, online coffee salon for the City of Asylum community.

Coffee with Andrés sessions feature conversations with writers and musicians, activists and artists, discussing their work and sharing a cup with Andrés—and with you.

The first guest is Vietnamese singer and activist Mai Khoi, the most recent exiled artist-in-residence on Sampsonia Way and an Artist Protection Fund (APF) Fellow in residence at the University of Pittsburgh. Khoi will share her story, her music, and teach Andrés how to make a traditional Vietnamese coffee.

The conversation starts at 12:00 on the 26th and plays again at 3:00 pm on the 28th. It's free but registration is required.

Mexican restaurant coming to Greenfield in the former home of Bill Ung's Tea Garden and the "best egg rolls in Pittsburgh."

Signage recently went up at 4371 Murray Ave. (map) in Greenfield for Audrina's Mexican Grille. This Mexican restaurant will be the latest in a long line of international restaurants, most recently Hamsah Mediterranian Grille, Babylon Cuisine, and Ethnic Foods. For several decades, though, it was the home of Bill Ung's Tea Garden and the self-proclaimed "best egg rolls in Pittsburgh."

More Minari virtual screenings added via Row House Cinema through February 25.

The Korean-American film Minari, playing in two local theaters, is also available for online viewing from the distributor via Row House Cinema, through February 25. There is a limited number of tickets per daily screening and some dates are already sold out, but more dates over the next week have been added.

A summary of the film, from the distributor:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

2020 Korean-American film Minari remains in Pittsburgh through February 25.

The 2020 Korean-American film Minari, which opened in Pittsburgh on February 11, will remain here through at least February 25. A synopsis, from the distributor:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

It will continue at the Waterworks Cinema the Cinemark North Hills, and tickets are available online.

2020 Goro Miyazaki film Earwig and the Witch (アーヤと魔女) continues in Pittsburgh through February 25.

The 2020 Goro Miyazaki film Earwig and the Witch (アーヤと魔女), which opened in Pittsburgh on February 3, will stay in some local theaters through the 25th. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. As the headstrong young girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her new guardians, she discovers a world of spells and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.

It will continue at the Waterworks and Cranberry Cinemas. Tickets are available online; please note that some screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles while others are dubbed in English.

"Paisley Rekdal & Matthew Salesses Live Reading and Conversation," February 22 with City of Asylum.

City of Asylum will host "Paisley Rekdal & Matthew Salesses Live Reading and Conversation" on February 22.

Appropriate, A Provocation — Utah’s poet laureate Paisley Rekdal’s newest book is a timely, nuanced work dissecting the thorny debate around cultural appropriation and the literary imagination. Paisley Rekdal will be joined in conversation by bestselling author Matthew Salesses for a live discussion and audience Q&A.

How do we properly define cultural appropriation, and is it always wrong? If we can write in the voice of another, should we? And if so, what questions do we need to consider first? In Appropriate, creative writing professor Paisley Rekdal addresses a young writer to delineate how the idea of cultural appropriation has evolved—and perhaps calcified—in our political climate. What follows is a penetrating exploration of fluctuating literary power and authorial privilege, about whiteness and what we really mean by the term empathy, that examines writers from William Styron to Peter Ho Davies to Jeanine Cummins. Lucid, reflective, and astute, Appropriate presents a generous new framework for one of the most controversial subjects in contemporary literature.

The online event runs from 7:00 to 8:15 pm. It is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Eddie Huang film Boogie in Pittsburgh, from March 5.

The upcoming Eddie Huang film Boogie will play in Pittsburgh from March 5. From the distributor:

From acclaimed writer, producer and restaurateur Eddie Huang comes his directorial debut Boogie, the coming-of-age story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA. While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must find a way to navigate a new girlfriend, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.

It will play locally at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and North Hills.

African Cuisine moving into old Chaya spot, February 27.

Signage is up for a new restaurant, African Cuisine, set to move into the spot formerly occuped by Chaya on February 27. Chaya closed on January 30 after two decades in Squirrel Hill. A menu for the new restaurant is available online via The Soul Pitt.

New Chinese-Hong Kong film End Game (人潮洶湧) in Pittsburgh, from February 18.

The 2021 Chinese-Hong Kong film End Game (人潮洶湧) will open in Pittsburgh on February 18. A synopsis, from the South China Morning Post:

Produced by and starring Andy Lau Tak-wah, this black comedy directed and co-written by Rao Xiaozhi is a remake of the 2012 Japanese film Key of Life.

Lau plays an assassin who accidentally swaps identities with a hapless actor played by Xiao Yang, who won over many fans after his mesmerising turn as a movie-buff-turned-murder-suspect in the 2019 sleeper hit Sheep Without a Shepherd. Both characters are forced to reconsider their priorities in life after the swap leads to a chain of bizarre and hilarious encounters.

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

"From Hanok to Hanbok: Traditional Iconography in Korean Hip-Hop Music Videos" by Dr. CedarBough Saeji, February 24 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. CedarBough Saeji and her talk "From Hanok to Hanbok: Traditional Iconography in Korean Hip-Hop Music Videos" on February 24 in the next installment of this term's Asia Pop series.

In her virtual lecture From Hanok to Hanbok: Traditional Iconography in Korean Hip-Hop Music Videos, Dr. Saeji will explore the contradictions and effects of the use of imagined and real Korean settings and traditional iconography in recent videos from Korean hip-hop artists. She investigates what symbols and icons are used to visually represent Korea in the videos, as they take a foreign genre and imbue it with Koreanness. These videos circulate and re-circulate a limited number of icons of Korea, because the images are meant not to portray pre-modern Korea in its complexity, but traditional Korea both as a symbol of national pride and as a (domestic and international) tourist destination where the palace is a backdrop and you wear a hanbok to create a visually striking Instagram post.

It starts at 6:30 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.