Concert film SB19 Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Concert Finale In Cinemas, with Filipino boy band SB19, in Pittsburgh October 8 and 11.

The upcoming concert film SB19 Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Concert Finale In Cinemas, following Filipino boy band SB19, will play in Pittsburgh on October 8 and 11.

From the Philippines to the world, SB19’s historic Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Concert Finale comes to cinemas worldwide. Captured before a record breaking crowd of nearly 100,000 fans, the film showcases the group’s biggest hits, spectacular production, and world class performances that have made SB19 one of Asia’s most influential acts. Presented in SCREENX and 4DX, audiences can experience the scale, sound, and energy of the concert like never before. Experience the power of GENTO, What?, and DAM as the Philippines’ biggest pop phenomenon takes over the big screen in an unforgettable celebration of music, fandom, and legacy. More than a concert film, it is the story of a movement– one built by five artists, millions of fans, and a dream that helped redefine Filipino music for a new generation.

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

2026 American film Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, starring Rinko Kikuchi, in Pittsburgh from September 25.

The 2026 American film Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, starring Rinko Kikuchi among other Japanese and international actors, will play in Pittsburgh from September 25.

Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.

It plays locally, so far, at the Manor Theatre in Squirrel Hill, and tickets are available online.

1988 Japanese animated film Akira (アキラ) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) September 16.

The 1988 Japanese animated film Akira (アキラ), which opened in Pittsburgh on September 3 in both standard format and a 4K re-release, will continue here in standard format through (at least) September 16.

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural power suddenly manifest. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

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

2026 Korean movie Hope (호프) in Pittsburgh, from September 9.

The 2026 Korean movie Hope (호프) will play in Pittsburgh from September 9.

A police chief, a policewoman and a group of hunters try to track down and kill a mysterious creature that's laying waste to a Korean village.

It plays locally at many area theaters, including: Squirrel Hill Manor, AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, Chartiers Valley Luxury 14 + PTX, and the Cinemark theater in Robinson. Tickets are available online.

2026 Korean film Colony (군체) in McKees Rocks, September 12.

The 2026 Korean film Colony (군체) will once again play in the Pittsburgh area on September 12, as the second installment of the Parkway Theater's Asian Movie Madness series this month.

Biotechnology professor Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun) attends a conference at the Doongwoori Building, which spirals into chaos when a rapidly mutating virus is unleashed. Unlike traditional slow zombies, the infected individuals move with insect-like coordination, functioning similarly to a giant hive mind.

Tickets are $10 at the door. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

4K restoration of 1993 Japanese animated film Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖) in Pittsburgh, October 4 and 7.

A new 4K restoration of 1993 Japanese animated film Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖) will play at the Row House Hollywood on October 4 and 7.

Jubei is a masterless ninja who travels the land alone, lending his services to those with gold—or a worthy cause. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a plot to overthrow the government threatens to end his wandering ways—and possibly his life.

There are five shows in total and tickets are available online. The Row House Hollywood is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map), one block south of the Potomac T Station.

Documentary Always Lalisa in Pittsburgh area, October 14 and 17.

An upcoming documentary Always Lalisa, following Blackpink's Lisa, will play in the Pittsburgh area on October 14 and 17.

Always Lalisa is a feature-length documentary following global superstar LISA during a transformative year away from Blackpink, the K-pop phenomenon that made her one of the world's most recognizable performers. As the group pauses activities, LISA embarks on the first true chapter of her solo career, confronting the question of who she is beyond Blackpink. The film follows LISA as she writes, records, and releases her debut solo album, Alter Ego, makes her acting debut in the third season of The White Lotus, and prepares for her first major solo performance at the 2025 Coachella Music Festival. Born and raised in Thailand, LISA left home at fourteen to train in South Korea's demanding K-pop system, ultimately rising to global superstardom. But forging her own path, particularly in the Western music market, brings new pressures, relentless scrutiny, and the challenge of redefining herself on her own terms. Intimate, emotional, and revealing, Always Lalisa captures an artist at a crossroads, documenting a year of risk, reinvention, and self-discovery as LISA begins to define not only her next chapter, but the woman and artist she wants to become.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless and Monroeville, and tickets are available online.

2025 Japanese animated film cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood (cocoon 〜ある夏の少女たちより〜) in Pittsburgh, from September 3.

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 3. 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 from the 4th, (tickets here). The Row House Hollywood is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map), one block south of the Potomac T Station.

1988 Japanese animated film Akira (アキラ) in Pittsburgh, in standard format and a 4K re-release, from September 3.

The 1988 Japanese animated film Akira (アキラ) will play in Pittsburgh, in both standard format and a 4K re-release, from September 3.

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural power suddenly manifest. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

The 4K re-release screens at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in Robinson, while the standard format plays at the AMC Loews Waterfront. Tickets are available online.

New Chinese computer-animated film All Wishes Come True (八仙) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) September 9.

The Chinese computer-animated film All Wishes Come True (八仙), which opened in Pittsburgh on August 28, will remain in the area through (at least) September 9.

On a wondrous island where mortals and Immortals dwell as one, a legendary vault holds a fortune beyond dreaming. Lü Dongbin and Zhongli Quan have a plan. To crack that vault, these two mortals will pull off the impossible: pose as Immortals themselves. They gather six more misfits along the way: He Xiangu, Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe, and Zhang Guolao. Eight ordinary souls, one extraordinary heist, and death waiting for anyone caught trying to outsmart the heavens. But something far worse is already closing in: a shadow conspiracy that could undo the balance of all things. And our eight bumbling schemers stand right in its path. Inspired by the beloved Chinese legend of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, All Wishes Come True! opens in theaters this summer.

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

Korean film Train to Busan (부산행) at Parkway Theater, September 5.

Tickets are now available for the 2016 Korean film Train to Busan (부산행) at the Parkway Theater on September 5, part of an Asian Movie Madness series this month.

Train to Busan – terrifying 10th anniversary, in a newly remastered and revived version

A workaholic father and his young daughter board a high-speed bullet train from Seoul to Busan. A catastrophic viral outbreak sweeps across South Korea during their journey. Trapped in narrow train compartments, a small group of passengers must fight off hordes of infected individuals to stay alive.

The theater is offering movie tickets for $10, sold at the door only, or movie + dinner (chicken on a stick with rice and a spring roll) for $20. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) returns to Pittsburgh, with metal and electronic score, September 2.

The Silent Light presents the 1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁), with accompaniment by live metal and electronic score, on September 2 at Row House Hollywood.

Experience Kinugasa’s lost 1926 silent horror masterpiece A Page of Madness like never before, reimagined with a blistering live metal and electronic score by The Silent Light. This cinematic ritual of chaos and sound will be performed one night only live at Row House-Hollywood  on September 2, 2026.

4K presentation of Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) for film's 30th anniversary, in Pittsburgh from September 17.

A 4K presentation of Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊) for the film's 30th anniversary will play in Pittsburgh from September 17. A synopsis, from the Anime News Network:

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as "The Puppetmaster" begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster. The pursuit will call into question what makes a human and what is the Puppetmaster in a world where the distinction between human and machine is increasingly blurry.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, and---on the 20th and 23rd only, for now---at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson. Tickets are available online.

NCT 127 5TH TOUR ‘NEO CITY : SEOUL - THE REDLINE’ in CINEMAS in Pittsburgh, September 20.

The concert film NCT 127 5TH TOUR ‘NEO CITY : SEOUL - THE REDLINE’ in CINEMAS will play in the Pittsburgh area on September 20.

NCT 127 5TH TOUR ‘NEO CITY : SEOUL - THE REDLINE’ in CINEMAS brings the explosive opening of NCT 127’s long -awaited return to the big screen through a special live viewing event in theaters around the world. Marking the group’s first tour in a year and eight months, this event captures the scale, energy, and electrifying performances of NCT 127 as they kick off a new chapter of NEO CITY in Seoul. Broadcast live from KSPO DOME, audiences worldwide are invited to experience the intensity of the concert in a cinematic setting, taking in every moment of the setlist, staging, and onstage charisma with fans across the globe. For NCTzens and K -pop audienc es alike, this cinematic experience is a chance to witness the heat of THE REDLINE together, beyond borders, on the biggest screen possible.

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

2026 Korean action horror movie Colony (군체) in Pittsburgh, from August 27.

The 2026 Korean action horror movie Colony (군체) will play in Pittsburgh from August 27.

Horror master Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) directs a new Korean zombie thriller starring Gianna Jun and Koo Kyo-hwan. Professor Se-jeong (Jun) is thrust into a bloody nightmare when a rapidly mutating virus is released during a biotech conference causing authorities to seal the facility. Trapped inside with no escape, Se-jeong along with a small group of survivors must fight to stay alive while the infected undergo horrific transformations.

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

New Chinese computer-animated film All Wishes Come True (八仙) in Pittsburgh, August 28 - September 2.

The Chinese computer-animated film All Wishes Come True (八仙) will play in PIttsburgh on August 28.

On a wondrous island where mortals and Immortals dwell as one, a legendary vault holds a fortune beyond dreaming. Lü Dongbin and Zhongli Quan have a plan. To crack that vault, these two mortals will pull off the impossible: pose as Immortals themselves. They gather six more misfits along the way: He Xiangu, Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe, and Zhang Guolao. Eight ordinary souls, one extraordinary heist, and death waiting for anyone caught trying to outsmart the heavens. But something far worse is already closing in: a shadow conspiracy that could undo the balance of all things. And our eight bumbling schemers stand right in its path. Inspired by the beloved Chinese legend of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, All Wishes Come True! opens in theaters this summer.

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

Korean films Train to Busan (부산행), Colony (군체), and Japanese film Ichi the Killer (殺し屋１) comprise Asian Movie Madness at Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks in September.

Three films will comprise Asian Movie Madness at the Parkway Theater next month: Train to Busan (부산행) on September 5, Colony (군체) on September 12, and Ichi the Killer (殺し屋１) on September 18. Ticket information is coming soon. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

2026 Chinese film Dear You (给阿嬷的情书) in Pittsburgh, from September 3.

The 2026 Chinese film Dear You (给阿嬷的情书) will play in Pittsburgh from September 3.

A debt-ridden grandson travels to Thailand to find the grandfather he believes abandoned their family, hoping the man behind years of qiaopi letters and remittances can help pay his debts. Instead, he uncovers a lifelong act of love and sacrifice. Inspired by overseas Chinese traditions, DEAR YOU has become a breakout success, touching global audiences with its story of family and devotion.

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

Tickets for 2026 SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Festival now on sale.

The lineup for the 2026 SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Fest was announced a few days ago, and tickets are now available online. This year's festival features 13 works, so far, at locations throughout Oakland and downtown. Most relevant to readers of this site are films from Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea, China, and the Philippines:

• Before the Bright Day (南方時光, Taiwan) - September 18, 1:30 pm, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
• Sleep No More (Monster Pabrik Rambut, Indonesia) - September 18, 8:00 pm, Harris Theater
• Gloaming in Luomu (罗目的黄昏, China) - September 19, 11:00 am, Cathedral 332
• Filipiñana (Philippines) - September 19, 7:00 pm, Harris Theater
• Two Seasons, Two Strangers ( 旅と日々, Japan) - September 20, 11:00 am, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
• Queer Taiwan: Works from Jo-Fei Chen (Where is my Love?, Incidental Journey) - September 20, 3:00 pm, Carnegie Museum of Art
• Ky Nam Inn (Quán Kỳ Nam, Vietnam) - September 21, 6:30 pm, Public Health G24
• 3670 (Korea) - September 22, 7:00 pm, Harris Theater
• The Yoshida-Ryo Dormitory (対話のゆくえ　京都大学吉田寮, Japan) - September 23, 7:00 pm, David Lawrence 121

Tickets are free for anyone with a University of Pittsburgh ID and for Carnegie Mellon University students. The festival runs from September 16 through 23.

The Yoshida-ryo Dormitory (対話のゆくえ 京都大学吉田寮) named 2026 Japan Documentary Film Award (JDFA) winner.

The 2025 Keizo Fujikawa documentary The Yoshida-ryo Dormitory (対話のゆくえ 京都大学吉田寮) has been named the 2026 Japan Documentary Film Award (JDFA) winner.

We are thrilled to announce this year's winner, the 2025 film Yoshida-Ryo by documentary filmmaker Keizo Fujikawa. Yoshida-Ryo Dormitory explores this centuries-old communal living space where its inhabitants are slated for eviction. Through a colorful array of characters, the film shows the struggles and wonders of living through consensus, as well as the fraught role of interdependence in the contemporary world. As one of our judges notes, "[the film] captures the essence of the universal, fundamental issue of the world we live in by digging deep into a very local, small world. I felt what's happening at Yoshida-ryo is happening everywhere, or it had happened already."

The movie will be screened at an awards ceremony on September 23 at 7:00 pm in 121 David Lawrence Hall on the University of Pittsburgh campus (map) as part of next month's SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Festival. 

He JDFA's official site provides an overview of the award:

The Japan Council of the University of Pittsburgh and SCREENSHOT: ASIA invites submissions every two years for its Japan Documentary Film Award. This biennial prize is awarded to one exemplary documentary film promoting the understanding of Japan and Japanese culture. The documentary should tell us something interesting about Japan and/or speak to Japanese culture, history, social phenomena, practices, or events. The award is available to feature-length films from all countries, and in all languages.

Previous award winners include:

• 2018 - Sennan Asbestos Disaster (ニッポン国VS泉南石綿村)
• 2020 - An Ant Strikes Back (アリ地獄天国)  
• 2022 - Maelstrom
• 2024 - Fists and Prayers (拳と祈り ー袴田巖の生涯ー)