Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) at Pitt, November 1.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 2000 Taiwanese film Yi Yi (一一) on November 1. From the distributor:

The extraordinary, internationally embraced Yi Yi (A One and a Two . . .), directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century.

It will play in 3911 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

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.

"Authentic Chinese Cuisine at Home" culinary arts classes with Itha Cao of The Hungry Cao, three Saturdays at Phipps from October 26.

via @thehungrycao

Itha Cao of The Hungry Cao will host a series of three culinary arts classes on "Authentic Chinese Cuisine at Home," Saturdays at Phipps Conservatory from October 26.

Join Itha Cao in exploring flavors, dishes and traditions native to Chinese cuisine. Learn a variety of techniques for stir fry, dumplings and more.

Oct. 26: Cooking Fearlessly with Tofu: Learn the different forms that tofu comes in - dried, marinated, block, fried, and frozen - and cook delicious, flavorful vegan salads to stir fries.

Nov. 9: Healing Noodle Soups & Stews: Learn how to cook wheat and glass noodles in vegan and bone broths with seasonal vegetables - perfect for a cold day!

Nov. 23: Chinese Dumplings: Learn how to mince, fold, boil, and fry dumplings from start to finish, including pork and napa cabbage and zucchini and egg varieties.

The cost for the set of three is $140 for Phipps members and $160 for non-members---each individual class is $50 and $55, respectively---and each session runs from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Space is limited and registration can be completed online. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located at 1 Schenley Drive in Oakland (map).

Crazy Rich Asians at CMU, October 24.

The Chinese Studies program at Carnegie Mellon University will present the movie Crazy Rich Asians on Thursday, October 24, as part of the Modern Language Resource Center's Film Series. The distributor writes:

"Crazy Rich Asians” follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.​

It starts at 7:00 pm in 225C Porter Hall (map).

Vanity license plate seen in Highland Park.

Bunkasai festival with Pitt's Japanese Student Association, October 26.

The University of Pittsburgh's Japanese Student Association will hold its annual Bunkasai cultural festival on October 26.

JSA will be hosting our biggest event of the year, the Culture Festival, on Saturday October 26th in WPU Assembly Room ✨🎊

Stop by with your friends to enjoy free food* 😋, performances by fellow students 💃, and more❣️

Attractions that open at 11AM: Super Smash bros, kendama, henna, Japanese language practice, fortune telling, and more!

Performances start at 1PM: First Class Bhangra and Pitt FRESA will be performing there along with some other fellow students, so be sure to come out and support them! 🤗

Hope to see you all there 🥳

*You can get access to free food once you visit our various booths with the attractions mentioned above!

Pittsburgh Magazine: "The Fight to Recognize Pittsburgh’s Lost Chinatown."

The November 2019 issue of Pittsburgh Magazine takes a look at the fight to recognize Pittsburgh's former Chinatown as a historically-significant neighborhood.

“Unlike any other immigrant group that came through Pittsburgh, with the Chinese, you can’t find anything — unless you go digging for it — to show that they really were here,” says Marian Mei-Ling Lien, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), one of the oldest Asian-American and Pacific Islander advocacy groups.

Lien wants people to know something about Pittsburgh’s Chinatown and early Chinese population. The Pittsburgh chapter is applying — for the fourth time — to earn a state historical marker for Pittsburgh’s Chinatown from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Read more online or in the November 2019 issue.

2019 Japanese film We are Little Zombies (ウィーアーリトルゾンビーズ) in Pittsburgh, November 13 and 17.

The 2019 Japanese film We are Little Zombies (ウィーアーリトルゾンビーズ) will play in Pittsburgh on November 13 and 17 as part of the 2019 Three Rivers Film Festival. A Variety review writes of it:

No pulsating, psychedelic, pop-punk phantasmagoria ought to be as moving and smart as “We Are Little Zombies.” But Makoto Nagahisa’s explosively ingenious and energetic debut (imagine it as the spiritual offspring of Richard Lester and a Harajuku Girl) holds the high score for visual and narrative invention, as well as boasting [insert gigantic-beating-heart GIF] and braaaains, too. The gonzo adventures of four poker-faced Japanese 13-year-olds who bond over their mutual lack of emotion following sudden orphanhood, it reimagines the old “stages of grief” thing as a progression through 13 erratic levels of a video game, complete with mini-games and side quests. And if its manic, 8-bit aesthetic seems hyperactively inappropriate for such a somber scenario — like it does grief wrong — that too, can be interpreted as a generous insight into the mourning process: Who among us, upon being bereaved, has ever believed they’re doing grief right?

It will play at the Regent Square Theater on November 13 and 17, though tickets are not yet available.

2018 Korean film House of Hummingbird (벌새) at resurrected Three Rivers Film Festival, November 9 and 12.

The 2018 Korean film House of Hummingbird (벌새) will play in Pittsburgh on November 9 and 12 as part of the Three Rivers Film Festival. The Tribeca Film Festival writes:

Set in 1994 in Seoul, House Of Hummingbird is a touching coming-of-age drama centered around the quiet, unexceptional eighth-grader Eunhee (Ji-hu Park). Struggling to make passing grades and subject to non-stop screaming at home, she spends her time finding meaning in the love and friendships of her peers, in shoplifting, and in karaoke bars. It’s in her cram school professor (Sae-byeok Kim), however, that Eunheen finds the answers that she seeks, as the two form an unlikely friendship.

In her feature debut, Bora Kim puts Korean culture and mores on display, gently criticizing the reduced role where women are pressured to exist. The film’s measured pace allows it to examine the many moments between despair, contrasting the joy of adolescence with its miseries. Bora Kim presents an honest and poignant take on youth, filled with warm cinematography from Gook-hyun and introduces a powerhouse performance from the young Ji-hu Park. An assured debut, House of Hummingbird cements Kim’s place as an upcoming auteur to follow.

It will play at the Harris Theater at 8:30 pm on November 9 and at 6:00 pm on the 12th, though tickets are not yet available.

2019 movie One Piece: Stampede (ワンピーススタンピード) in Pittsburgh from October 24.

Tickets for the 2019 movie One Piece: Stampede (ワンピーススタンピード) went on sale today; it will play in Pittsburgh, and across the US, from October 24. From the distributor:

The world’s boldest buccaneers set sail for the great Pirate Festival, where the Straw Hats join a mad-dash race to find Gol D. Roger’s treasure. There’s just one little problem. An old member of Roger’s crew has a sinister score to settle. All bets are off when the most iconic pirates of One Piece history band together for a swashbuckling showdown, the likes of which have never been seen!

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Monroeville, and tickets are available online. The screenings on October 24, 29, and 31 are in Japanese with English subtitles, and the October 26 and 30 screenings are dubbed in English.