Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival opens tomorrow at Row House Cinema.

The fourth annual Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival at the Row House Cinema features 12 films, a collection of Japanese TV gameshow moments, a number of special events, and runs from March 29's Ramen Fest through April 11.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" returns to East Liberty, April 16.

via archdaily.org

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on April 16 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Sister City 海阳?

via baidu.

According to today's Cranberry Eagle, the sister city relationship between Cranberry, Butler County, and Haiyang, China, is almost done, should be complete following a trip by Haiyang officials to western Pennsylvania in September.

[Butler Tourism and Convention Bureau president Jack] Cohen said the sister city project with Hai Yang will bring not only tourism to Butler County, but also potential Chinese businesses looking to expand into the U.S.

“As people get to know us and we get to know them, we build relationships,” Cohen said. “You never know what individuals are looking for.”

Hai Yang chose Butler County and Cranberry because Chinese Westinghouse employees living in Cranberry Township have reported a high quality of life, Cohen said.

Westinghouse is building a nuclear plant facility in Hai Yang, Cohen said.

Master Z: IP Man Legacy (葉問外傳：張天志) at Harris Theater, from April 19.

The 2018 Chinese martial arts film Master Z: IP Man Legacy (葉問外傳：張天志), which opens nationwide on April 12, will play at the Harris Theater downtown from April 19 through 25. The distributor provides a summary:

Legendary action director Yuen Wo Ping draws on a stellar cast (Michelle Yeoh, Dave Bautista, Tony Jaa, and Max Zhang) to create a hard-hitting martial arts blast worthy of its place in the celebrated IP MAN universe. Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi (Zhang), tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it’s not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight.

The movie will play in Mandarin with English subtitles. Showtime and ticket information is not yet available. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the Cultural District (map).

Dr. Stephen Luft and "Intercultural Communication in Japan and Beyond," April 7 in Shadyside.

By Toomore Chang (Creative Commons)

Dr. Stephen Luft of the University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will present "Intercultural Communication in Japan and Beyond" on April 7 at the First Unitarian Church in Shadyside.

This talk will address issues that arise in intercultural communication. When communicating with people from different cultures, differing expectations can result in misunderstood intentions. This misunderstanding often leads to a misjudgment of a person’s character. Examples of behaviors such as refusal, apology, listening, etc. will be used to show how actions that are considered polite in one culture can be considered impolite in another. Specific examples will be drawn from learning, teaching, and working in Japanese culture.

The talk runs from 9:00 to 10:15 am in the church's Schweitzer Room. The church is located at 605 Morewood Ave. (map).

"An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana," April 13 at Pitt.

via volunteerbali.org

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana" on April 13.

An Evening of Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater: Tales from the Ramayana features a pre-performance lecture by Dr. Meghan Hynson, puppetry by Ida Bagus Anom Suryawan assisted by Ida Ayu Kumalayoni, and Gender Wayang Music performed by Meghan Hynson, Yang Shuo, Wangcaixuan Zhang, and Annie Valdes.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map) and tickets are available for purchase online.

2018 Chinese film Girls Always Happy (柔情史) at Carnegie Mellon, March 31.

The 2018 Chinese film Girls Always Happy (柔情史) will play at Carnegie Mellon University on March 31, one of two Chinese movies playing at this year's CMU International Film Festival.

Wu is in her mid-twenties and lives with her mother in a traditional one-story house in one of Beijing’s hutongs. Both consider themselves to be writers, but success has so far eluded them. Their unhealthily close relationship is characterised by reproaches and quibbling; only during meals do they appear to lay down their verbal weapons. The situation escalates when both Wu and her mother hit an emotional low. Often compared to the fellow mother-daughter film, LADYBIRD, GIRLS ALWAYS HAPPY is both a funny and dramatic depiction of a complicated parent-child relationship, elevated by the charming performances of the two leads: An Nai and director Yang Mingming herself.

The movie starts at 4:00 pm in McConomy Auditorium and tickets are available online.

Korean film Burning (버닝) free at Pitt, March 29.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will present Burning (버닝) on March 29, the final installment of this year's Korean Film Festival. The official site summarizes Burning:

BURNING is the searing examination of an alienated young man, Jongsu (Ah-in Yoo), a frustrated introvert whose already difficult life is complicated by the appearance of two people into his orbit: first, Haemi (newcomer Jong-seo Jun), a spirited woman who offers romantic possibility, and then, Ben (Steven Yeun, THE WALKING DEAD, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU), a wealthy and sophisticated young man she returns from a trip with. When Jongsu learns of Ben’s mysterious hobby and Haemi suddenly disappears, his confusion and obsessions begin to mount, culminating in a stunning finale.

It will be shown in 332 Cathedral of Learning from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and is free and open to the public.

"Lecture: Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, Amateur Architecture Studio," March 30 in Oakland.

Huang Gongwang Museum, via Architectural Record.

Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu of Amateur Architecture Studio will present the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Gold Medal Keynote on March 30 in Oakland.

Hear Wang Shu, Dean of the Architecture School at China Academy of Art, and Lu Wenyu, his partner and co-founder of the Amateur Architecture Studio, present the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Gold Medal Keynote.

Their firm utilizes a knowledge of everyday techniques to adapt and transform materials for contemporary projects. A unique combination of traditional understanding, experimental building tactics, and intensive research defines the studio’s approach.

The lecture runs from 5:00 to 6:00 pm at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland (map) and is free and open to the public.

Taiwanese film More Than Blue (比悲傷更悲傷的故事) to remain in Pittsburgh through March 27 (at least).

The 2018 Taiwanese film More Than Blue (比悲傷更悲傷的故事) will play remain in Pittsburgh through at least March 27. The Osaka Asian Film Festival provides a synopsis of the film, a remake of a 2009 Korean hit, which opened in Pittsburgh on March 15:

It seemed like fate when solitary student Zhang Zhe-kai met a rebellious girl named Song Yuan-yuan. These two lonely high school classmates find they become inseparable when they lose their family but their connection blossoms into a beautiful relationship, not quite lovers but very dependent upon each other. She names him “K” and chooses the name “Cream” for herself. They live together and go to college together and eventually get jobs together at the same record company. They are the perfect couple. Things come to a standstill when “K” is diagnosed with leukemia but he’s more concerned about Cream and wants to ensure her happiness before his time runs out by helping her find love little realising she may have already found it…

A glossy remake of the 2009 Korean film of the same name, it proves to be a real tearjerker thanks to the persuasive performances of lead actors Jasper Liu (“Take Me to the Moon” – OAFF 2018) and Ivy Yi-Han Chen who sell the idea of fidelity and timeless love.

The movie is playing at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online. The theater is located at 300 West Waterfront Dr. in the Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead (map), across the Monongahela River from Greenfield, Squirrel Hill, and the rest of Pittsburgh.