Friday, August 19, 2016

2016 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival schedule announced.

The lineup of films for the 2016 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival was released today, a list that includes movies from Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, the United States, and elsewhere.



Movies from East Asia in the 2016 festival include Ten Years (十年) from Hong Kong, A Girl At My Door (도희야) from South Korea, and Twisted Justice (日本で一番悪い奴ら) from Japan.

The festival runs from September 16 to September 25 at various theaters around the city. A complete schedule is available on the Silk Screen website.

Tan Izakaya to open August 28.



Tan Izakaya announced it will open for business on Sunday, August 28, at 11:00 am. The Japanese-style pub run by the proprietors of Everyday Noodles is located at 815 S. Aiken St. in Shadyside (map), and released its menu---featuring ramen, sake, and yakitori---in May.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Noodle Uchi coming soon to Oakland's Craig St.



Window signage recently went up for Noodle Uchi at 415 S. Craig St. in Oakland (map), in what was formerly Maximum Flavor Pizza Shop. "Create Your Own Noodle Bowls" advertises another sign. Work is being done by Peter Margittai Architects, who designed the space for Noodle Uchi's neighbor, Sushi Fuku.

Cultures of China, Charms of Ningxia performances in Mars, August 21.



The Pittsburgh branch of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) presents an evening of performances on August 21: Cultures of China, Charms of Ningxia.
Led by the internationally acclaimed male singer Tao Jiang, Beijing Opera singer Chi Yang, and violinist Rong Guo, the delegation including 33 award-winning Chinese musicians and artists will perform a magnificent and elegant show to Pittsburghers, including folk songs, classical dances, and Peking Opera.

This gala will also kick off the celebration of 2016 Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival, which will be held on September 10th in Schenley Plaza in Oakland.
The event runs from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at Mars Area High School (map), roughly 27 miles north of Pittsburgh. Tickets are available online for $25, though a $5 discount is available with promo code OCA.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Japanese folk tales from Kuniko Yamamoto at City of Asylum, August 20.



City of Asylum will host Japanese folk storyteller Kuniko Yamamoto on Saturday, August 20.
Bring the whole family for an afternoon of unique storytelling with Kuniko Yamamoto. Charming folktales are combined with traditional musical instruments, magical masks, origami and mime to create storytelling that will have audience spellbound in their seats.
More information, as well as an RSVP form, is available from the City of Asylum events page. The free event is from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The City of Asylum is located at 330 Sampsonia Way on Pittsburgh's Northside (map).
Oakland-based education consulting firm WholeRen Education is hiring a Chinese-speaking Marketing Dept Host Family Recruiter Intern (市场部 寄宿家庭中期 全职实习生). Their website also lists several other internship and job openings.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Kung fu, anime films at Row House Cinema this fall.

Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville will show a number of Asian films this fall across several different film series: Kung Fu Cinema from September 23 to 29; Anime from October 14 to 20; and Miss Hokusai (百日紅) as part of Row House of Horrors from October 20 to 30.



Four movies comprise the Kung Fu Cinema series: the 1978 Jackie Chan movie Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (蛇形刁手), the 1972 Bruce Lee movie Way of the Dragon (猛龍過江), 1967's Dragon Inn (龍門客棧), and 1971's A Touch of Zen (俠女). The Anime series consists of three Japanese movies, with a fourth to be announced later: 1973's Belladonna of Sadness (哀しみのベラドンナ), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉), and Millennium Actress (千年女優). The 2015 film adaptation of the manga series Miss Hokusai (百日紅) is part of Row House of Horrors.

Tickets and showtime information will be available on the theater's website later. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Ai Weiwei in Contemporary China panel discussion, August 20 at Warhol Museum.

The Warhol Museum will host a panel discussion, Ai Weiwei in Contemporary China, on August 20.
Join us for a panel discussion about Ai Weiwei in the broader context of contemporary art and politics in China. Panelists include Cindy Lisica, art historian and gallery director; Taliesin Thomas, director of contemporary Chinese art organization AW Asia; and John Wagner Givens, Asian Studies Center associate and adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh. The panel is moderated by Jessica Beck, The Warhol’s associate curator of art.
A Next Pittsburgh write-up provides more information. The Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei exhibit will run at The Warhol through August 28, and Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads will be at the Carnegie Museum of Art through the 29th. The Warhol is located at 117 Sandusky St. on the Northside (map). It's open every day but Monday, and adult admission is $20.

Monday, August 15, 2016

[Through Harmony] We Move, with Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, September 10 in Mellon Park.

On September 10, the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present [Through Harmony] We Move, a picnic and party in collaboration with Welcoming Pittsburgh and The Global Switchboard. From the JASP website:
Celebrate Japanese culture and the U.S. – Japan friendship with the Japanese community in Pittsburgh on September 10. Summer is a time of matsuri festivals in Japan, and we plan to celebrate with a festive picnic. Participants can experience Japanese cultural activities, learn more about Japan-related organizations in Pittsburgh, and try bon dancing and taiko drumming.
The event runs from 12:00 to 4:00 pm in Mellon Park (map).

Japanese film Our Little Sister (海街diary) in Pittsburgh, August 19 - 25.



The 2015 Japanese film Our Little Sister (海街diary) will play at the Harris Theater from August 19 through 25. Variety writes in a 2015 review:
Marking the subtle transitions in the lives of three sisters after they take under their wing a teenage half-sibling they never knew, “Our Little Sister” is so meticulously shot and gracefully orchestrated that it can be considered a worthy contempo successor to Kon Ichikawa’s masterpiece “The Makioka Sisters.” Yet, in attempting to evoke an overwhelmingly femme-centric universe for the first time, Hirokazu Kore-eda adopts an approach so serene that his protagonists’ pain as well as their personalities remain largely muffled as they drift soulfully through the seasons. While gently engaging throughout, the pic nonetheless doesn’t reverberate as deeply as the helmer’s 2013 Cannes jury prizewinner, “Like Father, Like Son,” but Kore-eda’s standing among the worldwide culturati will ensure a warm response at festivals and arthouse cinemas.
The movie stars Haruka Ayase (Hotaru no Hikari, Cyborg She, Masami Nagasawa (The Crossing), Kaho and Suzu Hirose.

Showtimes have not yet been released. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District (map).

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