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).

Singaporean grindcore band Wormrot in Pittsburgh, May 29.

The Singaporean grindcore band Wormrot will play the Black Forge Coffeehouse on May 29. Tickets for the all-ages show are now available online. The Black Forge Coffee House is located at 1206 Arlington Ave. in Allentown (map).

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.

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.

2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye in Pittsburgh, July 28 - August 3.

The 2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from July 28. A summary from a recent A.V. Club review:

Some men buy a Ferrari when they’re in the throes of a midlife crisis. Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), the successful architect who’s at the center of writer-director Kirsten Tan’s wistful feature debut Pop Aye, buys an elephant. And although at first this appears to be an act of portentous quirkiness, it turns out that the elephant, Pop Aye—played by an elephant named Bong, one of three actors listed in the film’s credits—is the same one Thana grew up with on his uncle’s farm in the Thai countryside, and the duo’s long walk back to Thana’s hometown is not just a homecoming; it’s an act of penance.

Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at an unhurried pace for a road trip story that doubles as a travelogue of rural Thailand. Much of the film is split between this odd-couple pilgrimage and scenes of Thana’s life back in Bangkok, where his younger co-workers are squeezing him out of his own firm and his relationship with his wife, Bo (Penpak Sirikul), long ago soured into resentment.

Tickets and showtime information is now available online. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye in Pittsburgh, from July 27.

The 2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from July 27. A summary from a recent A.V. Club review:

Some men buy a Ferrari when they’re in the throes of a midlife crisis. Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), the successful architect who’s at the center of writer-director Kirsten Tan’s wistful feature debut Pop Aye, buys an elephant. And although at first this appears to be an act of portentous quirkiness, it turns out that the elephant, Pop Aye—played by an elephant named Bong, one of three actors listed in the film’s credits—is the same one Thana grew up with on his uncle’s farm in the Thai countryside, and the duo’s long walk back to Thana’s hometown is not just a homecoming; it’s an act of penance.

Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at an unhurried pace for a road trip story that doubles as a travelogue of rural Thailand. Much of the film is split between this odd-couple pilgrimage and scenes of Thana’s life back in Bangkok, where his younger co-workers are squeezing him out of his own firm and his relationship with his wife, Bo (Penpak Sirikul), long ago soured into resentment.

Tickets and showtimes are not yet available online. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

Singaporean film Apprentice (徒刑) in Pittsburgh, November 19.

The the 2016 Singaporean film Apprentice(徒刑) will play on at the Regent Square Theater on November 19 as part of this year's Three Rivers Film Festival.

Singaporean film Apprentice (徒刑) at Three Rivers Film Fest, November 19.

The schedule for the 2016 Three Rivers Film Festival was released today, and the 2016 Singaporean film Apprentice(徒刑)---the lone Asian movie on the program---will play on November 19.

Ming Wong lecture at Carnegie Mellon School of Art, November 1.

From 明年 / Next Year / L'Année Prochaine, via artist's site.

The Carnegie Mellon School of Art will host Ming Wong on November 1 as part of it's Fall 2016 Lecture Series. The School of Art profiles the artist:

Ming Wong re-interprets cinema and popular culture to consider how identity is constructed, reproduced and circulated. Through imperfect translations and re-enactments, the artist portrays multiple key characters irrespective of language, gender, ethnicity, nationality or historical period. His videos, photographs, installations and performances uncover the gaps and slippages that haunt the notions of “authenticity” and “originality” in self and society. The Singapore-born, Berlin-based artist represented Singapore at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009 with his solo presentation Life of Imitation, which was awarded a Special Mention.

The talk begins at 5:00 pm in Kresge Theater (map), and is free and open to the public.

Ming Wong lecture at Carnegie Mellon School of Art, November 1.

From 明年 / Next Year / L'Année Prochaine, via artist's site.

The Carnegie Mellon School of Art will host Ming Wong on November 1 as part of it's Fall 2016 Lecture Series. The School of Art profiles the artist:

Ming Wong re-interprets cinema and popular culture to consider how identity is constructed, reproduced and circulated. Through imperfect translations and re-enactments, the artist portrays multiple key characters irrespective of language, gender, ethnicity, nationality or historical period. His videos, photographs, installations and performances uncover the gaps and slippages that haunt the notions of “authenticity” and “originality” in self and society. The Singapore-born, Berlin-based artist represented Singapore at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009 with his solo presentation Life of Imitation, which was awarded a Special Mention.

The talk begins at 5:00 pm in Kresge Theater (map), and is free and open to the public.

Singaporean film Ilo Ilo (爸妈不在家) at Northland Public Library, May 13.

The May installment of Northland Public Library's Foreign Film Series is the Singaporean film Ilo Ilo (爸妈不在家) on May 13. A summary from the Three Rivers Film Festival, where the movie played in 2013:

Set in Singapore during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, this delightful film chronicles the day-to-day drama of the Lim family – troublesome grade-schooler and his overstressed parents. Comfortably middle-class and with another baby on the way, they hire Teresa, a Filipino immigrant, as a live-in maid and nanny. An outsider in both the family and Singapore itself, Teresa struggles to manage the boy's antics and find her footing in her new community. The two eventually form a unique bond, but just as Teresa becomes an unspoken part of the family, unforeseen circumstances arise.

The movie will play at Northland from 1:30 pm, and the library is located off of McKnight Road and Rt. 19 in McCandless Township (map). The film is free and open to the public.

"Hawker Stand" temporary restaurant coming to Oakland, bringing Southeast Asian street food.

Spice Island Tea House will be taking a brief hiatus, says its Facebook page, and will be replaced by "Hawker Stand,"

a temporary restaurant featuring classic street foods of South East Asia.

We will serve tasty snacks and curries popularized by Asian food stalls, some of which you may recognize from the original Spice Island Tea House menu. We will post a working menu up as soon as possible. The menu will be posted on www.facebook.com/hawkerstand.

Spice Island Tea House will return in late 2014 or early 2015.

After nearly 20 years, 6 days a week, we think that Spice Island Tea House deserves an extended vacation. But we are excited about exploring this new territory, and hope that you will be too.

The spot is located at 253 Atwood Street in Oakland (map).

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.

Singaporean film Ilo Ilo (爸妈不在家) at Waterworks Cinemas, November 10 and 13.

The Singaporean film Ilo Ilo (爸妈不在家) will play at the Waterworks Cinemas (map) on November 10 and 13, part of the 2013 Three Rivers Film Festival. The festival's website summarizes:

Set in Singapore during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, this delightful film chronicles the day-to-day drama of the Lim family – troublesome grade-schooler and his overstressed parents. Comfortably middle-class and with another baby on the way, they hire Teresa, a Filipino immigrant, as a live-in maid and nanny. An outsider in both the family and Singapore itself, Teresa struggles to manage the boy's antics and find her footing in her new community. The two eventually form a unique bond, but just as Teresa becomes an unspoken part of the family, unforeseen circumstances arise.

The movie, one of four Asian films in the festival, plays on Sunday the 10th at 2:00 pm and on Wednesday the 13th at 4:45. Tickets are available online.

Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro among four Asian movies at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Film Festival.

The Three Rivers Film Festival, which runs in Pittsburgh from November 8 through November 23, announced their schedule of films today, a lineup that includes four Asian movies and one Lao-language film. The four are the classic Japanese animated films My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) and Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓), China's A Touch of Sin (天注定), and Singapore's Ilo Ilo (爸妈不在家). Schedules are available online, and we'll have more detailed posts on the movies in the next two weeks. (No, Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro will not be shown back-to-back, as they often are.)

Silk Scream Horror Film Night on May 11, Anime Film Night May 12.

As part of next week's annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, a doubleheader of horror films show on Saturday as the "Silk Screem Horror Film Night": China's Nightmare (青魘) and Korea's Two Moons (두게의 달). On Sunday, Japan's Asura (アシュラ) and Singapore's Tatsumi make up Anime Film Night.