Japanese punk band Shonen Knife returning to Pittsburgh, October 5.

Japanese punk band Shonen Knife will return to Pittsburgh on October 5 for a show at Cattivo (map) as part of its 2019 US tour.

Since their pure DIY beginnings in 1981, Osaka, Japan’s Shonen Knife have been building a faithful following of music enthusiasts and the alternative rock elite. Their relentless journey secured the band’s place as one of the pioneer ambassadors of Japanese rock music and culture on the international stage.

The band features original members (and sisters) Naoko on Vocals and Guitar, Atsuko on Bass and Vocals and introduces their newest member, Risa, on Drums and Vocals.

Akira (アキラ) with Pitt Gamelan, September 18 at Row House Cinema.

Row House Cinema will host Pitt Gamelan for a performance before the September 18 screening of Akira (アキラ).

Celebrate the musical roots of this anime masterpiece! Pitt Gamelan (the University of Pittsburgh’s Indonesian Gamelan group) will be joining us for a pre-show performance to accompany this screening of Akira! Six musicians will be playing a sampling of the music that inspired the film’s iconic soundtrack.

The evening begins at 7:00 pm and tickets are available online. Akira is one of four movies playing from September 13 through 19 as part of Row House Cinema's Anime Film Series. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Art in Smog documentary at Pitt, September 17.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present Lydia Chen's documentary Art in Smog on September 17.

Art in Smog offers an intimate encounter with four artists and a curator in China. Vivid art merges with thoughtful voices to evoke the human search for meaning. Featured are international artists Su Xinping and Xia Xiaowan, painter and antiques connoisseur Mushi, brash curator Cui Cancan, and painter Chen Hui, who expresses a woman’s sense of self in a challenging world.

Their pursuit of art takes them from quiet dreams in the 1990s to the extremes of the 2000s to their different paths forward today. Their lives and their work provide a visually rich glimpse of humanity in a tumultuous society. Footage from 1991 and 2016 documents China’s transformation.

It starts at 4:30 in 4130 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

Chuseok (추석) at Pitt, September 15.

The Daehwa Korean Conversation Group at the University of Pittsburgh will present a Chuseok (추석) celebration on September 15.

Join the Daehwa Korean Conversation Club in celebrating one of the most important Korean holidays: Chuseok (추석)!

Chuseok aka mid-autumn festival, is a day for families to gather and give thanks to their ancestors for plentiful harvest. We will have Korean games, opportunities to learn more about Korean culture and most important of all there will be FOOD! Come out and celebrate with us!!

It runs from 1:30 to 4:00 pm in the William Pitt Union Kurtzman Room.

VSA x CASA Mid-Autumn Festival at Pitt, September 22.

The Vietnamese Student Association and the Chinese American Student Association at the University of Pittsburgh will host a Mid-Autumn Festival on September 22.

It is that time of year to celebrate the moon and harvest with Pitt VSA & CASA as we are proud to present our 2019 Mid-Autumn Festival! Our theme this year is UNITY and it is all about how we all are brought together during this special time of year.

**Headlined by: the JROD TWINS**
The JROD Twins have been featured on Superstar K - Kpop Reality Show, WongFu and LeendaDProductions videos!
Check out their YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/jrodtwins
A meet and greet will follow after the event.

Come out to the WPU Assembly Room for an evening filled with some amazing performances, cultural activities, mooncakes, and food catered by Golden Palace Buffet. We hope you gather all of your friends and family to come celebrate the festival with us!

It runs from 5:00 to 8:00 pm in the William Pitt Union and is free and open to the public.

3D-animated Chinese movie Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世) to stay in Pittsburgh through September 18.

The new 3D animated Chinese film Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世), which opened in Pittsburgh on August 29, will remain in town through at least September 18. From the distributor:

A young boy, Nezha, is birthed from a heavenly pearl by the Primeval Lord of Heaven. Born with unique powers, Nezha finds himself as an outcast who is hated and feared. Destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, the young boy must choose between good and evil in order to break the shackles of fate and become the hero.

It is the highest-grossing Chinese animated film of all time. It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront theater 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.

2019 Japanese movie Tokyo Ghoul S (東京喰種 【S】) in Pittsburgh, from September 16.

The 2019 Japanese movie Tokyo Ghoul S (東京喰種 【S】) will play in Pittsburgh on September 16. From the distributor:

Now a member of Anteiku, Ken Kaneki grows closer to the ghouls around him. Determined to protect his new home against anti-ghoul forces, he trains his powers in secret. But when the infamous gourmet, Shu Tsukiyama, wishes to
savor some half-ghoul flavor, Kaneki’s training is put to the test of a lifetime.

Based on the thrilling supernatural manga, Tokyo Ghoul.

It will play in the US on September 16, 18, and 20, and locally at the Southside Works Cinema, and tickets are available online.

Tuvan throat singers Huun Huur Tu in Pittsburgh, October 10.

Tuvan throat singers Huun Huur Tu will perform in Shadyside on October 10.

Huun-Huur-Tus style could be best described as profoundly mysterious. This comes as a consequence of their traditional, ritual laryngeal chants descending from Central Asian land of Tuva. This unique song technique reside on developing an enthralling sound cosmos rich in undertones and overtones.

Japanese Language Social Hour, September 12 at Pitt.

Via Yasuda Women's University.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center is hosting a Japanese Language Social Hour on Thursday, September 12, with the group of students from Yasuda Women's University spending the term at the English Language Institute.

Join us at the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall for our Japanese Language Social Hour on Thursday, September 12th at 4:30 PM! It's a great opportunity to learn Japanese in a casual setting.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:30 pm in the new Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall (map).

Van Gogh & Japan, September 15 at Tull Family Theater.

The 2019 documentary Van Gogh & Japan will play at the Tull Family Theater in Sewickley on September 15.