Films from Korea, Japan, China, and Thailand at Pittsburgh Shorts Festival, November 1 through 7.

Films telling stories from Korea, Japan, China, and Thailand are among the dozens playing at the 2019 Pittsburgh Shorts Festival from November 1 through 7.

FORUM Accent and Dialect Discrimination: From Northern Japan to Western Pennsylvania, November 10 in Shadyside.

By Tokyo Times (Creative Commons)

The First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh will host "FORUM Accent and Dialect Discrimination: From Northern Japan to Western Pennsylvania" on November 10. It runs from 9:00 to 10:30 am at 605 Morewood Ave. (map) in Shadyside and is free and open to the public.

1954 film Godzilla (ゴジラ) at Phipps Conservatory, November 8.

Phipps Conservatory will show the 1954 film Godzilla (ゴジラ) on November 8 as part of its Fall Flower Show: Japanese Inspirations. From the distributor:

Godzilla (a.k.a. Gojira) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels.

It will play from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in Japanese with English subtitles and will have an introduction from Stephen Wludarski of the University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center. Those interested must register online and are required to purchase admission to Phipps. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located at 1 Schenley Drive in Oakland (map).

Samurai Films at Row House Cinema, November 1 - 7.

The Row House Cinema will run a Samurai Films series from November 1 through 7. The series is comprised of 1966's Sword of Doom (大菩薩峠), 1960's The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人), 2002's The Twilight Samurai (たそがれ清兵衛), 1973's Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (子連れ狼 子を貸し腕貸しつかまつる), and 1954's The Seven Samurai (七人の侍). Summaries, showtimes, and tickets are available online. Special events associated with the series include The Seven Samurai (with Bento Boxes) on November 3 and Setting the Scene: The Hidden Fortress on November 6.

The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

"Confusion, Misunderstanding and Mutilated Testimony: How Hou Hsiao-hsien Uses Cinema Aesthetics to Illustrate Taiwan's Political History" at Pitt, October 31.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Christopher Lupke and his talk "Confusion, Misunderstanding and Mutilated Testimony: How Hou Hsiao-hsien Uses Cinema Aesthetics to Illustrate Taiwan's Political History" on October 31. It starts at 4:00 pm in the Alcoa Room of Barco Law School (map).

Author Grace Lin in Pittsburgh, November 3.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will host children's author Grace Lin on November 3.

Grace Lin is the award-winning and bestselling author and illustrator of A Big Mooncake for Little Star, a gorgeous Caldecott Honor-winning picture book for young readers. Grace is also the author of When the Sea Turned to Silver, Starry River of the Sky, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, Dumpling Days, and Ling & Ting, as well as picture books such as The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone! Her newest book A Big Bed for Little Snow is due to be released in October 2019.

The event starts at 2:30 pm at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland (map) and will be followed by a book signing. Tickets are available online.

"Your Future In Asia: The Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program," October 29 at Pitt.

An information session for prospective JET applicants will be held on October 29 at the University of Pittsburgh.

Are you graduating soon? Wondering what your next adventure could be? Learn about the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program. It is a great opportunity for college graduates to work in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) or Coordinators for International Relations (CIR).

The presentation begins at 5:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

2006 Japanese movie Honey and Clover (ハチミツとクローバー) at CMU, November 7.

The 2006 Japanese movie Honey and Clover (ハチミツとクローバー) will play at Carnegie Mellon University on November 7 as part of the Modern Language Resource Center Film Series.

This film is adapted from the anime series about five art school students who navigate the emotional peaks and valleys of university life. Three male students all live in the same apartment building, and, when two of them fall for the same girl, their friendship is tested. Both Takemoto (Shô Sakurai) and Morita (Yusuke Iseya) long for Hagu (Yû Aoi), a new student at the school. Takemoto attempts to play it cool, while Morita tries a bit too hard to get her attention.

It starts at 7:00 pm in 225C Porter Hall (map).

2018 Japanese animated film Mirai (未来のミライ) at Phipps Conservatory, November 1.

The 2018 Japanese animated film Mirai (未来のミライ) will play at Phipps Conservatory on November 1 as part of its Fall Flower Show: Japanese Inspirations. A synopsis, from the distributor:

From acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children) and Japan’s Studio Chizu comes MIRAI, a daringly original story of love passed down through generations. When four-year-old Kun meets his new baby sister, his world is turned upside down. Named Mirai (meaning “future”), the baby quickly wins the hearts of Kun’s entire family. As his mother returns to work, and his father struggles to run the household, Kun becomes increasingly jealous of baby Mirai... until one day he storms off into the garden, where he encounters strange guests from the past and future – including his sister Mirai, as a teenager. Together, Kun and teenage Mirai go on a journey through time and space, uncovering their family’s incredible story. But why did Mirai come from the future?

An official selection at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, and the epic capstone of director Mamoru Hosoda’s career, Mirai is a sumptuous, magical, and emotionally soaring adventure about the ties that bring families together and make us who we are.

It will play from 7:00 to 9:00 pm dubbed in English; it will also include an introduction by Kirsten Strayer of the University of Pittsburgh. Those interested must register online and are required to purchase admission to Phipps. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located at 1 Schenley Drive in Oakland (map).

2019 Takashi Miike film First Love (初恋) to continue in Pittsburgh through October 31.

It was announced today the 2019 Takashi Miike film First Love (初恋), which opened in Pittsburgh on October 18, will continue here through October 31. The distributor provides a brief summary:

The film is the prolific auteur, Takashi Miike, at his most fun and anarchic, a noir-tinged yakuza film blending genres in the story of a young boxer and a call girl, who fall passionately in love while getting innocently caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme over the course of one night in Tokyo.

It will play at the Regent Square Theater at 1035 S. Braddock Ave. (map) and tickets are now available online.