Minari virtual screenings via Row House Cinema, February 12 through 25.

The Korean-American film Minari, set to play in two local theaters, is also available for online viewing from the distributor via Row House Cinema, February 12 through 25. There is a limited number of tickets per daily screening and some dates are already sold out.

A summary of the film, from the distributor:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

Sumi's Cakery aims to reopen February 11.

Sumi's Cakery, a Korean bakery in Squirrel Hill (map), aims to reopen on February 11. It has been on hiatus since just before Christmas.

2011 Taiwanese movie Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (賽德克·巴萊) February 23 at Pitt, followed by discussion with director.

The University of Pittsburgh's Taiwanese Student Association and Asian Studies Center will present a screening of the 2011 Taiwanese movie movie Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (賽德克·巴萊), followed by a discussion with director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖). An overview, from a 2012 New York Times review:

Its story is based on the little-known Wushe Incident in 1930, when 300 warriors of the Seediq, an aboriginal people centered in Taiwan’s interior highlands, rose up against their Japanese oppressors. A brief historical preface explains that in 1895, the island of Taiwan was ceded by China to Japan, which subdued the native population and turned them into demoralized, alcoholic slaves. Steeped in mysticism, tribal folklore and Asian machismo, the film is a two-and-a-half-hour bloodbath that fetishizes the machete as the ultimate human slicing machine.

The movie starts at 5:00 pm, and the discussion at 8:30. Registration details for the movie are not yet available, though registration for the discussion with Wei is now open.

2020 Korean-American film Minari (미나리) in Pittsburgh, from February 11.

The 2020 Korean-American film Minari opens nationwide on February 11, and is scheduled to play at two theaters locally. A synopsis, from the distributor:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

It opens at the Waterworks Cinema on the 11th, one day earlier than previously announced, and continues at the Waterworks and Cinemark North Hills theaters. Tickets are available online.

Virtual Lunar New Year celebration with OCA Pittsburgh, February 15.

The Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans is hosting a virtual Lunar New Year celebration on February 15.

Celebrate #LunarNewYear2021 with us virtually as we look back at past performances and celebrate community members past and present who made or are making a difference in the Asian American community.

It will air on Facebook Live from 6:00 pm. Also visit this list of restaurants offering Lunar New Year specials.

Lunar New Year release: 2021 Chinese movie Assassin in Red (刺杀小说家), a.k.a. A Writer's Journey, in Pittsburgh from February 12.

The 2021 Chinese movie Assassin in Red (刺杀小说家), also known as A Writer's Journey, will play in Pittsburgh from February 12. A brief overview, from a Variety preview last year:

“Assassin in Red,” which is executive produced by Ning Hao and backed by CMC Pictures, tells the story of a father who is tasked with killing a novelist in order to save his daughter who went missing six years ago. It turns out that the man’s writing creates a fantastical world that ends up influencing the father’s quest. The film stars Lei Jiayin (“The Longest Day in Chang’an”), Yang Mi (“Tiny Times”), and Dong Zijian (“Mountains May Depart”).

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Screening of 2019 Nailed It documentary and Q&A with filmmaker, February 16 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present a screening of the 2019 Nailed It documentary and Q&A with filmmaker Adele Pham on February 16. From the documentary's official site:

In virtually every city, state and strip mall across the U.S., women get their nails done in salons likely owned by Vietnamese entrepreneurs. How did this community come to be such a presence in the field? NAILED IT takes viewers from Los Angeles to the Bronx to meet the diverse people and relationships behind this booming and enigmatic trade, as well as through the complex history behind this part of the beauty industry.

The event starts at 7:00 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Virtual conversation with Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖), February 23 at Pitt.

The Taiwan Student Association at the University of Pittsburgh will present a virtual conversation with director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) on February 23. From the Asian Studies Center newsletter:

We are excited to announce a discussion with award-winning film director and screenwriter WEI TE-SHENG. Wei’s films, including Kano, Cape #7, and Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, are often centered around Taiwan’s indigenous peoples history and explore relationships between Taiwan’s different ethnic communities during colonization and after.

It begins at 8:30 pm and registration is required.

"An Evening of Traditional and Contemporary Japanese Music," February 26 (online) at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "An Evening of Traditional and Contemporary Japanese Music" on February 26.

Please join graduate students Devon Osamu Tipp (PhD candidate in Music Theory/Composition) and Kanoko Kamata (2nd year PhD student in Sociology) for an evening of traditional and contemporary music for shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and shamisen (three string spike lute). Music featured on the program will include traditional and solo works, and music by composers Elizabeth Brown and Nancy Beckman.

Kanoko Kamata is a second year PhD student at the Sociology Department and studying about social movements, especially how people are discouraged or encouraged to participate in social movements. Her late grandmother was a singer and Shamisen player of min’yo, folk songs. She started her Shamisen training in Tokyo in Ikuta ryu (Kyoto style). Now she is learning Shamisen from Sumie Kaneko in Yamada ryu (Tokyo/Edo style). For more information, please visit www.kanokokamata.com.

Pittsburgh based composer/performer Devon Osamu Tipp creates unorthodox musical worlds from ostensibly incompatible realms. An Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellow in Music Theory/Composition at the University of Pittsburgh, Tipp has studied traditional Japanese music both in the US and Japan, and has appeared at conferences and festivals in the US, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.greengiraffemusic.info

The online event starts at 7:00 pm and a link to the stream is available here.

2016 Korean film Train to Busan (부산행) online at Pitt, February 10.

The Office of International Services at the University of Pittsburgh will present the 2016 Korean film Train to Busan (부산행) on February 10 as part of its Watch Party Wednesday series. From the Korean Movie Database:

A mysterious viral outbreak pushes Korea into a state of emergency! As an unidentified virus sweeps the country, Korean government declares martial law. Those on an express train to Busan, a city that has successfully fended off the viral outbreak, must fight for their own survival… 453 km from Seoul to Busan. The struggle to survive by those who have others to protect! Get on board to stay alive!

< The movie starts at 7:00 pm and free and open to the Pitt community, though registration is required.