Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) continues in Pittsburgh through December 12.

The acclaimed 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충), which opened in Pittsburgh on November 1, will continue in Pittsburgh through at least December 12.

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

Parasite won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It continues locally at the Southside Works Cinema (map) and the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill (map). Tickets are available online.

Breath Of The Wok - Dim Sum Brunch By Roger Li, December 8.

Chef Roger Li will host the second pop-up event in his series on dim sum and Cantonese dishes on December 8, titled "Breath Of The Wok - Dim Sum Brunch."

Chapter 二 ......

Many may mistake Roger Li's cultural background because of his culinary legacy with Pittsburgh staples like Umami, Ki Ramen (both Japanese concepts), Ki Pollo (Korean fried chicken) and some may even remember the legend of Tamari from days of old. But when you taste Roger's traditional Cantonese cooking, there's no mistaking his Hong Kong roots!

We're excited to bring you the second chapter of our pop up series by Roger Li focusing on Cantonese cooking. The second chapter continues at Ki Ramen, one of Li's well known restaurants FEATURING A NEW UPDATED MENU!

After a massively successful first event, this Cantonese brunch pop up will feature a variety of dim sum along with cantonese bbq, traditional rice dishes, and pastries.. each pop up will focus on different styles and techniques leading up to his journey of opening his brick and mortar Cantonese concept.

Stay tuned...

It will take place at Li's Ki Ramen in Lawrenceville (map) from 12 noon to 4:00 pm.

1988 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) in Pittsburgh, December 5.

As part of the 40th anniversary celebration for the Gundam franchise, the 1988 movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) will return to theaters on December 5. From the distributor:

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Gundam franchise when Char's Counterattack returns to theatres!

Amuro and Char, two best mobile suit (robotic weapons) pilots who fought together against Titans after the Jion's independency war, must face each other in a fateful duel where the Neo-Jion, led by Char, attempts to drop a gigantic meteor and its nuclear weapons to Earth in order to cause Nuclear Winter to wipe out the Earth inhabitants.

Gundam fans won’t want to miss out on this exclusive one-night-only event, featuring a special interview with franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino!

It will play locally, in Japanese with English subtitles, at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Robinson, and Pittsburgh Mills. Tickets are available online.

Free Korean III advanced-level classes coming to Carnegie Library in January.

via the Republic of Korea's Flickr page.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which already holds free beginner- and intermediate-level Korean classes, will offer Korean III from January 2020.

Korean III is geared toward those with an advanced understanding of Korean. This group meets 1st & 3rd Saturday of each month, from January through April, in Classroom A.

• These classes are FREE.
• You do not have to register for the classes.
• You do not need to bring anything or buy anything.
• New participants are welcome at any time.
• This class is for adults, but young people are welcome as long as they behave respectfully.

The next meetings will be January 4 and January 18 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Carnegie Library branch in Oakland. 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.

"Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono" at Pitt, rescheduled for January 8, 2020.

"Vivid kimono" by Raita Futo (Creative Commons).

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Evan Mason and his workshop "Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono" on January 8.

Pitt alumnus Evan Mason will teach participants about the craftsmanship put into designing a kimono. The lecture will begin with a lesson on the history and significance of the kimono in Japan, follow with a kitsuke demonstration (how to wear traditional Japanese attire), and end with participants trying on their own yukatas (casual kimonos)!

It runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map). It takes place two days before the center's annual Seijin Shiki / Coming-of-Age ceremony.

One day left for fundraising for new Screenshot: Asia film festival and media series at University of Pittsburgh from September 2020.

A festival organizer writes with an update on fundraising for the new Asian film festival and media series hosted by the University of Pittsburgh from September 2020:

I wanted to update you on the progress we are making on bringing a new and improved Asian Film Festival to Pittsburgh.

I'm not sure how much you have heard about this, but Pitt will now host the festival each September (now called Screenshot: Asia), which means that the event will have much more student and faculty participation in addition to strong support from the Pittsburgh community. Screenshot Asia will be the umbrella organization for our own Japan Documentary Film Award, and they will support year-round Asian film programming (including showing silent samurai films with live musical performances like the benshi I brought last year).
We have been raising money for the Film Festival in order to prove to Pitt that we have broad community interest. Would you consider making a donation to support us?

A few reasons to support us:

• Pitt has the strongest film studies program in the city (actually a strong nation-wide reputation), and we are well positioned to make this an amazing event for the university, for Asian communities living in Pittsburgh, and for anyone who loves Asian cinema.
• Contributions start at five dollars. Any level of support would be appreciated!
• One of our students is featured in our promotional film (but you'll have to watch the video to find out who!)

We have just one more day until the campaign ends. We are making excellent progress at nearly 80% of our goal. Please take a look and consider supporting us. Many thanks!

You can click here to go directly to the EngagePitt campaign (or copy and paste the address here: https://engage.pitt.edu/project/16914).

Fundraising closes at 11:59 pm on December 3.

Screenshot: Asia was announced in September 2019. It will fill---aiming to fill to excess---a void left after Silk Screen closed in 2018 due to persistent sexual harassment by its CEO, and after Pittsburgh Filmmakers shuttered its theaters and programming in November.

2019 film Promare (プロメア) returns to Pittsburgh for redux, December 8, 10.

The 2019 Japanese animated film Promare (プロメア) will return to Pittsburgh on December 8 and 10. The distributor summarizes:

The first feature-length film from the acclaimed studio TRIGGER, creators of the hit series KILL la KILL and Little Witch Academia, and director Hiroyuki Imaishi (GURREN LAGANN, KILL la KILL), Promare uses a bold cel-shaded visual style to tell a blistering action-adventure story, and is the spiritual successor to many of director Imaishi’s former works.

Thirty years has passed since the appearance of Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings, who destroyed half of the world with fire. When a new group of aggressive mutants calling themselves “Mad Burnish” appears, the epic battle between Galo Thymos, a new member of the anti-Burnish rescue team “Burning Rescue,” and Lio Fotia, the leader of “Mad Burnish” begins.

The subtitled version on December 8 will play locally at the AMC Waterfront, Southside Works, and Cinemark in Monroeville, while the dubbed version on the 10th will play at the AMC Waterfront, Southside Works, and Cinemark in Robinson. Tickets are available online.

Chinese shipping and express mail company Kuapai (快派) opens Pittsburgh location in Squirrel Hill.

Chinese shipping company and express mail service Kuaipai Global (快派) recently opened a Pittsburgh location in Squirrel Hill. It is located at 5815 Forbes Ave #2FL (map), above Thai & Noodle Outlet and Instyle salon. It is one of several Chinese express mail companies to come and go from the neighborhood in recent years: KS Express (later YM-EX) opened on Murray Ave. in November 2016 and STO Express arrived in January 2016 and left in summer 2017.

"Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono," scheduled for December 2 at Pitt, has been postponed.

"Vivid kimono" by Raita Futo (Creative Commons).

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center's "Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono," originally scheduled for December 2, has been postponed, according to the ASC's Twitter.

Our Kitsuke workshop scheduled for Mon, Dec 2nd is now postponed! We will update with more information when available. Thank you!

— Pitt Asian Studies Center (@PittASC) November 30, 2019

Dagu Rice Noodle (大鼓米线) coming soon to Squirrel Hill, will replace The Magic Noodle.

Signage recently went up at Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map) for Dagu Rice Noodle (大鼓米线), a Chinese chain that opened its first American location in Las Vegas and has another location in Cleveland.

In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there was a restaurant without a sign near the flowery Drum tower in Yunnan, Kunming. Whenever the city had a happy news, people rang the drum to celebrate. Along with the joy of drumbeat, people flocked to the unnamed little restaurant and had bowls of hot rice noodle soup, meaning “smooth long time”. Because of this joy, with the honesty of the shop owner, the little restaurant eventually became a century-old business.

It replaces The Magic Noodle, which opened in May and in turn replaced Sun Penang, which closed earlier in 2019.

Pittsburgh Chinese School hiring teachers.

The Pittsburgh Chinese School, which meets on Sundays at Taylor Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill, is hiring teachers.

岗位要求:
1、热爱中国文化，并有热情将中国的文化广泛传播。
2、喜欢孩子，有爱心、耐心，责任心，有亲和力。
3、普通话发音标准清晰，语言表达能力强。
4、有基本的英语表达沟通能力。
5、有中文教学经验，尤其是有中小学教学经验者优先。
6、有教育或中文相关学历者优先。
7、文艺课教师有相关学历或工作经验者优先。

2012 film Falling Flowers (萧红) at Maridon Museum, December 5.

The 2012 film Falling Flowers (萧红) will play at Butler's Maridon Museum on November 8 as part of its Chinese Film Series. The movie starts at 6:00 pm and is paired by an introduction from Dr. Wei Bian of Slippery Rock University. The movie is free and open to the public, though reservations are required and can be made at 724-282-0123. The Maridon, an Asian art museum, is located at 322 North McKean St. in downtown Butler (map), roughly 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Susan Lieu and "140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother" at Pitt, January 10.

The University of Pittsburgh's Vietnamese Student Association will host playwright Susan Lieu and her "140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother" on January 10, 2020.

The Vietnamese Student Association presents: Susan Lieu x 140 LBS: HOW BEAUTY KILLED MY MOTHER.

Susan Lieu is a Vietnamese-American playwright, performer, director and activist. “140 LBS” is an emotional solo performance written and performed by Susan and directed by Sarah Prokalob that tells the story of Susan’s mother who passed away in surgery due to medical malpractice. The performance brings to awareness “the multi-generational immigrant experience, body insecurity and shame, repression and subsequent examination of personal loss, lack of accountability in the medical system, and the Vietnamese folkloric practice of spirit channeling.” Susan is currently on a national tour to bring this story into the lives of others and to start a discussion on important topics relevant to today’s society.

Free Chinese, Japanese, Korean classes in Pittsburgh in December.

a night view of Seoul, by sinano1000 (Creative Commons)

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will continue to offer free Chinese, Japanese, and Korean classes at some of its branches this December. Check out the class information below in addition to its language resources on the shelves and online.

As the library notes: these classes are free; registration is not required; no materials are needed and nothing needs to be bought; new participants are welcome at any time; classes are for adults (unless otherwise noted) but well-behaved young people are welcome to join as well.

Sister City Saitama to send cohorts of students to Pittsburgh from 2020.

A delegation from Saitama, Japan, met with Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Hamlet earlier this month to explore opportunities for collaboration. Saitama and Pittsburgh became Sister Cities in 1998. Dr. Hamlet writes on Facebook:

Starting in 2020, Saitama City will send its first cohort of students to Pittsburgh to participate in local programs and conduct fieldwork in Pittsburgh’s universities and museums.

2019 Chinese movie Better Days (少年的你) continues in Pittsburgh through December 4.

The new Chinese movie Better Days (少年的你), which opened in Pittsburgh on November 15, will continue through at least December 4. From the distributor:

From the award-winning team of Soul Mate, comes a new Chinese drama movie by Derek Kwok-Cheung Tsang, starring Jackson Yee and Zhou Dongyu.

When it is time for the Chinese gaokao, a two-day national college entrance exam, the entire country comes to a standstill. For nearly ten million high school students, this exam not only determines where and if they get to study but the fates of their entire families as well. Like so many others, Nian has been single-mindedly preparing for the exam, cutting everything else out of her life. When she becomes the target of relentless bullying, fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei and the two form a strong friendship. Before they can completely retreat into a world of their own, the two are dragged in the middle of a murder case of a teenage girl where they are the prime suspects. In this dramatic thriller, Derek Kwok-Cheung Tsang paints a bleak picture of an oppressive society, in the guise of a gripping fairy-tale love story, exposing the dark world of bullying and societal pressures of achievement facing today’s youth.

It will play 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.

Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) continues in Pittsburgh through December 4.

The acclaimed 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충), which opened in Pittsburgh on November 1, will continue in Pittsburgh through at least December 4.

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

Parasite won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It continues locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront. Tickets are available online.

"Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono," December 2 at Pitt.

"Vivid kimono" by Raita Futo (Creative Commons).

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Evan Mason and his workshop "Kitsuke: The Art Of Kimono" on December 2.

Pitt alumnus Evan Mason will teach participants about the craftsmanship put into designing a kimono. The lecture will begin with a lesson on the history and significance of the kimono in Japan, follow with a kitsuke demonstration (how to wear traditional Japanese attire), and end with participants trying on their own yukatas (casual kimonos)!

It runs from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Miyazaki Week at Row House Cinema, November 29 through December 5.

The Row House Cinema will present its annual Miyazaki Week this year from November 29 through December 5. Selections include Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ), Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城), Porco Rosso (紅の豚), and Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し). Tickets are available online and the Row House notes "Many shows will sell out. We recommend buying tickets in advance." Please also note that some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

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

1988 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) in Pittsburgh, December 5.

As part of the 40th anniversary celebration for the Gundam franchise, the 1988 movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (機動戦士ガンダム 逆襲のシャア) will return to theaters on December 5. From the distributor:

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Gundam franchise when Char's Counterattack returns to theatres!

Amuro and Char, two best mobile suit (robotic weapons) pilots who fought together against Titans after the Jion's independency war, must face each other in a fateful duel where the Neo-Jion, led by Char, attempts to drop a gigantic meteor and its nuclear weapons to Earth in order to cause Nuclear Winter to wipe out the Earth inhabitants.

Gundam fans won’t want to miss out on this exclusive one-night-only event, featuring a special interview with franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino!

It will play locally, in Japanese with English subtitles, at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, Robinson, and Pittsburgh Mills. Tickets are available online.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) in Pittsburgh, December 16 and 18.

The 2013 film The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) will play in Pittsburgh on December 16 and 18 as the final installment of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest. A 2014 A.V. Club review provides a summary:

A humble bamboo cutter named Okina (translation: “old man”) happens upon a glowing stalk in the grove near his house. When he investigates, the shimmering tree blossoms reveal a baby nested inside. Believing this discovery to be a gift from the heavens, Okina brings her home to his wife Ouna (“old woman”), with whom he begins to raise the child as their own. Dubbing her “Princess” Kaguya, Ouna and Okina marvel at how rapidly the girl begins to grow, racing from infancy to pre-adolescence in a matter of days.

While Kaguya busies herself with a normal childhood, making friends with the local kids and bonding with an older boy named Sutemaru, her adopted father becomes distracted by Kaguya’s value to him—the bamboo shoot from which she was born begins producing gold. As Kaguya transforms into a teenager, Okina relocates their family to the capital city, where the girl receives lessons on how to be a proper woman, and is celebrated as a rare beauty. When five aggressive suitors come calling—followed by the emperor himself—Kaguya begins to feel trapped, things falling apart as she imagines a different life for herself.

It goes on to say the film has "some of the most beautifully expressive animation that Ghibli (or anyone else) has ever produced".

The film will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, the North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson, and tickets are available online. The December 16 shows are dubbed in English while the December 18 screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles.