Japanese film Shoplifters (万引き家族) at Parkway Theater, February 22 - 28.

The acclaimed 2018 Japanese film Shoplifters (万引き家族) will play at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks from February 22 through 28. A summary of the 2018 Japanese movie and Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters (万引き家族):

After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold.

At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces.

Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them...

When Shoplifters was released in Japan in June it was the country's highest-grossing movie its first three weekends, and finished the year as Japan's fourth highest-grossing domestic film of the year.

Showtime information is available on Facebook, though tickets are not yet available online. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) added to Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival.

The 2000 cult classic film Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) has been added to the nine other films that currently comprise the upcoming Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival.

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary “Battle Royale” act.

Battle Royale became a cultural phenomenon, and has been highly influential in global popular culture. Since the film’s release, the term “battle royale” has been used to refer to a fictional narrative genre and/or mode of entertainment inspired by the film, where a select group of people are instructed to kill each off until there is a triumphant survivor. It has inspired numerous media, including films, manga, anime, comics, visual novels, and video games; the battle royale game genre (including Fortnight), for example, is named after the film.

"Historical Irony in Wang Xiaobo’s Intertextual Narrator," February 22 at Pitt.

The Asian Studies Center and the Department of East Asian & Languages Literatures will host MA candidate Xiaoqi Shen and her talk "Historical Irony in Wang Xiaobo’s Intertextual Narrator" on February 22.

Japanese film The Third Murder (三度目の殺人) at Carnegie Library in Oakland, April 7.

The 2017 Japanese film The Third Murder (三度目の殺人) will be the April installment of International Cinema Sunday at the Carnegie Library in Oakland on April 7.

Leading attorney Shigemori takes on the defense of murder-robbery suspect Misumi, who served jail time for another murder 30 years ago. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, 124 minutes, rated R

The movie runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm in Classroom A and is free and open to the public. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map) and is accessible by buses 28X, 54, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, and 93.

A final good-bye for the old Kim's Coffee Shop?

Almost four years ago I posted some photos of a facade on Penn Ave. in Garfield made up with a pretty distinctively Korean look The eaves on 5447 Penn Ave. (map) are made to resemble a traditional Korean house, though it was actually a Vietnamese place opened in 1983 and run by Mai Hong Khuu until her cancer diagnosis and death in 2006. (Reviews from the last century commented on the windowless atmosphere, and even a 2004 City-Paper review feels especially dated, with Pittsburgh's increased familiarity with Vietnamese and Chinese over the last few years.)



A notice of condemnation was posted on February 12 where the door once was, warning of an "unsafe structure" and "imminent danger," with the solutions required by the notice either repair or demolition. The former restaurant, as well as the building above it, were purchased in 2012 by the nearby Pittsburgh Glass Center, with the intention of turning it into student and artist housing. However, by all indications the two spots have been empty since the restaurant closed nearly 13 years ago. It was sold in 2018 to an LLC run by Ghassan Bejjani, a neurosurgeon who purchased four other vacant homes on the same block in 2015 (under a different LLC) and a building across the street last year.


As seen in 2015.

"Rights Make Might: Global Human Rights and Minority Social Movements in Japan," February 18 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Sociology will host Kiyoteru Tsutsui and his talk "Rights Make Might: Global Human Rights and Minority Social Movements in Japan" on February 18.

Since the late 1970s, the three most salient minority groups in Japan - the politically dormant Ainu, the active but unsuccessful Koreans, and the former outcaste group of Burakumin - have all expanded their activism despite the unfavorable domestic political environment. In Rights Make Might, Kiyoteru Tsutsui examines why, and finds an answer in the galvanizing effects of global human rights on local social movements. Tsutsui chronicles the transformative impact of global human rights ideas and institutions on minority activists, which changed their understandings about their standing in Japanese society and propelled them to new international venues for political claim making. The global forces also changed the public perception and political calculus in Japan over time, catalyzing substantial gains for their movements. Having benefited from global human rights, all three groups repaid their debt by contributing to the consolidation and expansion of human rights principles and instruments outside of Japan. Drawing on interviews and archival data, Rights Make Might offers a rich historical comparative analysis of the relationship between international human rights and local politics that contributes to our understanding of international norms and institutions, social movements, human rights, ethnoracial politics, and Japanese society.

The talk runs from 4:00 to 5:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Nine Japanese animated films in Pittsburgh for Studio Ghibli Fest 2019, from April 7.

GKIDS announced the line-up for its Studio Ghibli Fest 2019, which will bring nine films to American theaters from April through December:

• Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城): April 7, April 8, April 10
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ): May 20 and May 21
• Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば): July 1 and July 2
• Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便): July 28, July 29, and July 30
• My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ): August 25, August 26, and August 28
• The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)): September 29, and September 30
• Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し): October 27, October 28, and October 30
• Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫): November 17, November 18, and November 20
• The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語): December 16 and December 18

There will be screenings in Japanese with English subtitles as well as English-dubbed versions. Tickets for all shows will go on sale March 7; films are likely to play at local Cinemark theaters, as in years past.

WESA FM asks "What Happened To Pittsburgh's Chinatown?"

Taken in 2012.

Pittsburgh's NPR station, WESA FM, has a lengthy piece on what happened to Pittsburgh's Chinatown.

2018 Japanese movie Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative [機動戦士ガンダムNT (ナラティブ)] in Pittsburgh, February 19.

The 2018 Japanese movie Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative [機動戦士ガンダムNT (ナラティブ)] will play in Pittsburgh on February 19. Anime News Network has a summary:

U.C. 0097. One year since the Laplace's Box was opened. Despite the revelation of the original charter for the Universal Century, which acknowledges the existence of Newtypes and their rights, the world remains largely unchanged. After the destruction of the Neo Zeon remnant force known as the Sleeves, the event that has come to be known as the "Laplace Incident" seems to have drawn to a close. In the final battle, two Full Psycho Frame mobile suits displayed power beyond human imagination. The menace of the White Unicorn and the Black Lion were sealed away from public consciousness, and were consigned to be forgotten by history. But now sightings of the RX-0 Unicorn 03, long thought lost two years ago, are being reported. Its name is Phenex, an immortal golden bird.

The movie will play at 7:00 pm the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Robinson. These screenings are dubbed in English.

New films The Wandering Earth (流浪地球), Pegasus (飞驰人生),Fall in Love at First Kiss (一吻定情 ) staying in Pittsburgh through February 20 (at least).

New Chinese films The Wandering Earth (流浪地球), Pegasus (飞驰人生), andFall in Love at First Kiss (一吻定情 ), will stay in Pittsburgh through at least February 20. The first two were released to coincide with the Lunar New Year, while the latter will be released on Valentine's day.

"Japan 2019: Outlook and Challenges" with Deputy Counsel General of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Koji Abe, February 20 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Deputy Counsel General of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Koji Abe and his talk "Japan 2019: Outlook and Challenges" on February 20.

Deputy Counsel General of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Koji Abe will be discussing the current situation in Japan and challenges to come. He will consider Japan's relations with East Asia and South Asia, as well as the US-Japan alliance. He will examine the USJTA and TPP, grassroots activities in Japan, and other political, social, and economic aspects of Japan.

It will be held from 3:00 to 4:30 pm at 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Lunar New Year Celebration, February 15 at Pitt.

The Pitt Chinese Department and Chinese Club will present a Lunar New Year Celebration on February 15. It runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

New Chinese movie Fall in Love at First Kiss (一吻定情 ) opens in Pittsburgh on February 14.

The new Chinese movie Fall in Love at First Kiss (一吻定情 ) will open around the world, including Pittsburgh, on February 14. A Malaysian site provides a summary:

Director Chen Yu San’s second film, Fall In Love At First Kiss, does not stray too far from her first feature – the successful romantic flick, Our Times. She has also gotten Our Times actor Darren Wang to be the male lead in First Kiss.

Adapted from Japanese manga Mischievous Kiss (by Kaoru Tada), First Kiss tells of schoolgirl Yuan Xiang Qin (Lin Yun, of The Mermaid) falling hard for the new boy in school, Jiang Zhi Shu (Wang). Unfortunately, Zhi Shu is superior to Xiang Qin in every way – from his looks to his IQ. Undeterred, she decides to follow her feelings and confess her love for him.

Tickets and showtime information is available online via Fandango. 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.

"From Animation to Martial Arts: Toward the Transcendence of False Movements," February 21 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Pittsburgh Film and Media Colloquium will present Dr. Jinying Li and her talk "From Animation to Martial Arts: Toward the Transcendence of False Movements" on February 21.

燃而不毁-荆棘火敬拜团原创诗歌音乐会, March 9.

The Chinese Bible Study Fellowship and the Pittsburgh Chinese Church of Oakland will host a musical performance by Burning Bush on March 9. Please note: the entire event will be in Mandarin.

Join the Chinese Bible Study Fellowship for a night of music sharing by Burning Bush Worship Band from Chicago that creates all original content. It's a time to relax, enjoy music, and meet some new people! Free refreshments will be provided. Please note that the entire event will be in Mandarin Chinese. We hope to see you there! Tickets are free, please sign up with the link below.

The event is free but registration is required and can be made online. It runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in Bellefield Hall in Oakland (map).

Understanding the Background and Academic Preparation of Students from Chinese Cultures, February 28 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Teaching and Learning will present "Understanding the Background and Academic Preparation of Students from Chinese Cultures" on February 28, as part of its ongoing series of workshops for instructors and teaching assistants.

Chinese learners make up the largest international student population at the University of Pittsburgh. They serve in many teaching and learning capacities such as undergraduate and graduate students, teaching assistants, and research scholars. This workshop provides specific techniques in ways to involve and interact with this specific ethnic and linguistic group. Livestreaming option is available to regional campuses.

The event is open to the Pitt community; registration is required and can be done online. The presentation will run from 1:30 to 4:00 pm in 211 David Lawrence Hall (map).

New films The Wandering Earth (流浪地球), Pegasus (飞驰人生), Integrity (廉政風雲 煙幕) staying in Pittsburgh through February 13 (at least).

New Chinese films The Wandering Earth (流浪地球) and Pegasus (飞驰人生) and new Hong Kong film Integrity (廉政風雲 煙幕), which were released to coincide with the Lunar New Year, will stay in Pittsburgh through at least February 13.

Police Story (警察故事), Police Story 2 (警察故事續集) at Row House Cinema in May for Jackie Chan series.

1985 Hong Kong film Police Story (警察故事) and the 1988 sequel Police Story 2 (警察故事續集) will be two of the films comprising a Jackie Chan Film Series at Row House Cinema from May 17 through 23. Additional films will be announced later.

Saigon88 Express now open in Robinson.

Saigon88 Express, a Vietnamese restaurant serving pho and banh mi, opened at 5500 Steubenville Pike (map) in Robinson Township in last month.


via @SAIGON88 EXPRESS.

Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Parade, February 17 in Squirrel Hill.

via @Lunar New Year PGH.

The annual Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Parade will be held in Squirrel Hill on February 17. It will begin at 11:00 am at the corner of Murray Ave. and Phillips Ave., and proceed up Murray to the intersection of Forbes Ave. Writes the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition:

On Sunday February 17th, the Lunar New Year Parade returns to the heart of Squirrel Hill! Starting at 11am at Philipps and Murray Avenue, Steel Dragon Kung Fu & Lion Dance will begin the festivities and the new year with a traditional Chinese blessing ritual. Pan-Asian cultural organizations in resplendent costumes and uniforms will showcase their craft as we march up Murray toward Darlington Street. Weaving in and out will be Chinese dragon lines, lion dance teams and Thai Fire-eaters! The award winning Allderdice Marching Band will be keeping us in rhythm. Minadeo K-5 will show us how a young dragon team can rock the line! And Dragonboat teams Pittsburgh Paddlefish and Hearts of Steel share what makes them strong and resilient in our three rivers! The Lunar New Year Parade is free and open to the public!

Chinese-language play Ivy League Dream in Wexford, April 7.

The Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center will present the play Ivy League Dream on April 7 at North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford (map). The show starts at 7:00 pm and will play with English subtitles. Tickets are available by contacting the email addresses on the flyers above.