1997 animated film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) continues in Pittsburgh through April 21 with 4K IMAX screenings.

The 1997 animated film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫), which opened in Pittsburgh on March 26, will continue here through (at least) April 21 in a series of 4K IMAX screenings.

While defending his village from a demonic boar-god, young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse that grants him super-human power in battle but eventually will take his life. Traveling west to find a cure and meet his destiny, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest where he meets San (aka Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolf-gods. Mononoke is a force of nature, riding bareback on a great white wolf and terrorizing the human outpost of Iron Town on the edge of the forest.

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

Studio Ghibli Fest 2025 lineup announced, bringing eight films to Pittsburgh from May.

The lineup for Studio Ghibli Fest 2025 was announced today, bringing eight animated Japanese films to Pittsburgh from May through November.

• Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) - May 17 - 21
• The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) - June 22 - 24
• My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) - July 19 - 23
• Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓) - August 10 - 12
• Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) - August 23 - 27
• Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) - September 20 - 24
• Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) - October 18 - 22
• The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) - November 15 - 19

Tickets and showtime information is now available online, though more theaters are likely to be announced later.

2009 Japanese animated movie Summer Wars (サマーウォーズ) coming to Pittsburgh in 4K, July 27 - 29.

The 2009 Japanese animated movie Summer Wars (サマーウォーズ) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters in 4K from July 27 through 29.

Kenji is a shy, part-time moderator for OZ, the virtual reality world that powers everyday life, until pretty and popular Natsuki recruits him to be her fake boyfriend. While posing as an affluent suitor to Natsuki’s family, Kenji finds that a rogue A.I. program has stolen his online identity, and Kenji is accused of hacking OZ and causing real-world catastrophes. As the destruction in OZ throws Natsuki’s family into disarray, Kenji must unite his newfound connections to overcome an impending cyber apocalypse. Against a backdrop of stunning countryside vistas and virtual spaces bursting with color, Summer Wars is a timeless epic that explores life in the digital age from Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda (BELLE).

It is scheduled to play locally (so far) at the Cinemark in McCandless, though other theaters are likely to be announced later. Tickets for the July 27 and 29 shows in Japanese with English subtitles and the July 28 show dubbed in English are available online.

2025 Japan Lecture Series with The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, Then and Now: Japanese Performing Arts, April 17.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present "Then and Now: Japanese Performing Arts" on April 17, part of its 2025 Japan Lecture Series.

As Artistic Director, Yoko Shioya has carried out the Japan Society’s Performing Arts Program mission of presenting works inspired by the arts and culture of Japan in New York City and beyond. Her award-winning curation of about 200 programs of Japanese theater, dance, and music spans the very traditional to the most cutting edge. In this year of special programming celebrating her accomplishments over the past twenty years, Yoko will join us in Pittsburgh to share an update on her perspective of the evolutions in the field to ways in which artists are innovating and keeping traditions alive.

Join the JASP on April 17, 2025 for a lecture about the performing arts landscape inside and outside of Japan. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.

Yoko Shioya became head of Japan Society’s Performing Arts program in 2004 and Artistic Director in 2006. Her many contributions including increasing commissions for new non-Japanese works about Japanese culture, expanded North American tours, readings for contemporary plays in English, and the JAPAN CUTS film festival. Shioya received BAs in musicology and dance history from Tokyo University of the Arts. In Japan, she is known as a writer and researcher on the arts, presenting at various symposia, TV programs, cultural institutions, and as a writer for the Asahi Newspaper.

The event runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the JVH Auditorium in Thayer Hall at Point Park University downtown (map). The event is free, but registration is required.

2012 Japanese animated movie Wolf Children (おおかみこどもの雨と雪) in Pittsburgh-area theaters in 4K, May 11 - 13.

The 2012 Japanese animated movie Wolf Children (おおかみこどもの雨と雪) in Pittsburgh-area theaters in 4K May 11, 12, and 13.

College student Hana falls in love with a “wolf man” and together they have two half-human, half-wolf children, Ame and Yuki. The young family’s happy but humble life comes to an abrupt end when the father is tragically killed during a hunt. After struggling to raise her children in the busy city, Hana boldly decides to move to a dilapidated house in the countryside, in hopes that her children may one day decide their own path to happiness – whether “human” or “wolf.” This heart-wrenching modern fairy tale is a staggering work of beauty and emotion from Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda. Rich with gorgeous animation and set to a poignant musical score, Wolf Children is a sweeping tale about self-discovery and the bonds of family.

It is scheduled to play locally (so far) at the Cinemark in McCandless, though other theaters are likely to be announced later. Tickets for the May 11 and May 13 shows in Japanese with English subtitles and the May 12 show dubbed in English are available online.

Hong Kong Dim Sum in Oakland eyes April 15 soft opening.

Hong Kong Dim Sum management confirms it is working on some finishing touches and aiming for an April 15 soft opening. It will be located at 4520 Centre Ave. in North Oakland's One on Centre complex (map). The space features a large dining room plus three private rooms for events. Announced back in September 2023, Hong Kong Dim Sum was to help fill in one of the remaining gaps in Pittsburgh's Asian food scene, though dim sum offerings have expanded around town since then.

The management team shared a few additional photos of dishes and sauces its working on.

Rangos Giant Cinema at Carnegie Science Center adds three more Japanese animated films in May.

The Rangos Giant Cinema at Carnegie Science Center, which had previously announced a May 9 screening of Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城), has added three more Japanese animated movies to May: 

• The End of Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 Air/まごころを、君に) - May 16
• A Silent Voice (聲の形) - May 23
• Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) - May 30

Tickets and showtimes are available online. The movies start at 7:00 and tickets are available online: $10 for members and $12 for non-members. The Carnegie Science Center is located at 1 Allegheny Ave. on the North Shore (map).

1993 film The Joy Luck Club in Pittsburgh, from May 9.

The 1993 film The Joy Luck Club will play at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville from May 9 through 15, part of its "Thanks, MOM" film series around Mother's Day.

Adapted from Amy Tan’s best selling novel, Wayne Wang’s film artfully illustrates generational divides and universal truths through the stories of four Chinese women born in America and their respective mothers born in feudal China.

Tickets and showtimes are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).

Andrew Ahn's The Wedding Banquet, starring Bowen Yang and Youn Yuh-jung, among others, in Pittsburgh-area theaters, from April 18.

Andrew Ahn's The Wedding Banquet, a remake of the 1993 film, will play in Pittsburgh from April 18.

From Director Andrew Ahn comes a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating cultural identity, queerness, and family expectations. Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee's expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min's grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet. Starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung, The Wedding Banquet is a poignant and heartfelt reminder that being part of a family means learning to both accept and forgive.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

2025 Japanese animated movie Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing (劇場版プロジェクトセカイ 壊れたセカイと歌えないミク) in Pittsburgh, from April 17.

The 2025 Japanese animated movie Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing (劇場版プロジェクトセカイ 壊れたセカイと歌えないミク) will play in Pittsburgh from April 17.

COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing is an animation film by studio P.A.WORKS featuring an all-new Hatsune Miku and the first film with the iconic Virtual Singer. Based on HATSUNE MIKU: COLORFUL STAGE!, a game about high school students finding their true feelings through music in an alternate world called “SEKAI" with the help of Hatsune Miku. Ichika is a high school musician who can enter a mysterious place called “SEKAI,” where she and her friends express their innermost emotions through music alongside Hatsune Miku. One day after giving a live performance, Ichika meets a new Miku that she has never seen before. No matter how hard this new Miku tries to sing, she struggles connecting with the hearts of her listeners. Miku must rely on the help of others to find a way to sing again.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the AMC Westmoreland in Greensburg, and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.