Charles Yu with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, October 18.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present an online discussion with author Charles Yu on October 18 as part of next year's Ten Evenings series.

The author of four books and numerous television scripts, Charles Yu won the 2020 National Book Award for Interior Chinatown, an ambitious satire about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping roles we are forced to play. Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as the protagonist in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. Or is it?

Tickets for the 7:30 pm event go on sale July 6.

Eddie Huang film Boogie continues in Pittsburgh, through (at least) April 21.

The Eddie Huang film Boogie, which opened in Pittsburgh on March 5, will continue here through at least April 21. From the distributor:

From acclaimed writer, producer and restaurateur Eddie Huang comes his directorial debut Boogie, the coming-of-age story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA. While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must find a way to navigate a new girlfriend, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.

It will continue locally at AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

"Asian/American: A roundtable about Race, Identity, and Community," April 15 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will host "Asian/American: A roundtable about Race, Identity, and Community" on April 15. It starts at 5:30 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

AAPI COVID Vaccination Clinic, April 18 (part 1) at JCC in Squirrel Hill; Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Khmer, and Thai translators/interpreters on site.

The Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill will host an AAPI COVID Vaccination Clinic on Sunday, April 18. Organizers note that there will be "20 Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Khmer, and Thai language translators on site."

This is the first of a 2-part Pfizer vaccination. (The second vaccine will take place on May 16th.) You do NOT NEED AN Identification card, social security number, or insurance card for this clinic. EVERYONE who is 16-years and older will be vaccinated. Those interested should register online. The JCC is located at 5738 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), accessible by buses 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 64, and 74.

"Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center 2021 Summer Kung Fu Culture Program" in July and August.

Squirrel Hill's Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center will host a 2021 Summer Kung Fu Culture Program this July and August.

Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center

 

2021 Summer Kung Fu Culture Program

 

Squirrel Hill Studio

2705-2707 Murray Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15217

 

Learn kung fu with champion masters!

Learn Chinese language, Chinese culture and more!

 

 

Register Now!

 

Register by May 31^st to get $30 off weekly tuition!

 

 

Benefits of Win-Win Kung Fu Summer Intensive Program

 

Major

 

• Learn Kung Fu, free style Chinese kickboxing (sanda) and other forms of Chinese martial arts and Chinese language daily, with strong emphasis on the basics.
• Focus greatly on exercise and conditioning and gain skills needed for other sports and activities as well.
• Improve your concentration and focus with authentic Chinese martial arts training.
• Boot camp for beginners
• Intensive training for intermediate and advanced Wushu as well as a boot camp for beginners.

 

Minor

 

• Learn Chinese language from a native and professional Chinese teacher
• Give your mind a workout with Chinese Chess, Mahjong, Go and other games
• Watch Chinese movies to learn Chinese language and culture.
• At Win-Win Kung Fu we will try our best to bring you a fun and fruitful summer.

 

All kids aged between 6 and 15 years are encouraged to participate in this summer camp. Registration is free for Win-Win students and additional family members receive a 10% discount of weekly tuition.

 

 

 

Monday to Friday, 8:30 a. m. to 4:30 p.m., with optional extended times until 5:30 p.m.

We are offering 4 week sessions beginning on

 

Week 1. July 26 – 30, 2021

Week 2. August 2 - 6, 2021

Week 3. August 9 - 13, 2021

Week 4. August 16 - 20, 2021

 

2019 Hong Kong film Twilight's Kiss (叔．叔), online with City of Asylum and ReelQ, April 28.

The 2019 Ray Yeung film Twilight's Kiss (叔．叔) will play online with City of Asylum and ReelQ on April 28.

TWILIGHT’S KISS (SUK SUK) presents the story of two closeted married men in their twilight years. One day PAK, 70, a taxi driver who refuses to retire, meets HOI, 65, a retired single father, in a park. Despite years of societal and personal pressure, they are proud of the families they have created through hard work and determination. Yet in that brief initial encounter, something is unleashed in them which had been suppressed for so many years. As both men recount and recall their personal histories, they also contemplate a possible future together.

It plays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. The movie is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Tickets now available for 2020 Japanese movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」 無限列車編) in Pittsburgh, from April 22.

The 2020 Japanese animated movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」 無限列車編) will play in Pittsburgh from April 23. A synopsis of the top-grossing film in Japan last year, from the theaters:

Tanjiro Kamado, joined with Inosuke Hashibira, a boy raised by boars who wears a boar's head, and Zenitsu Agatsuma, a scared boy who reveals his true power when he sleeps, board the Infinity Train on a new mission with the Fire Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku, to defeat a demon who has been tormenting the people and killing the demon slayers who oppose it!

It will play locally at several local theaters, including AMC Loews Waterfront, Waterworks Cinemas, Cranberry Cinemas, and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are now available online.

Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache online via Tull Family Theater, April 30.

The Tull Family Theater in Sewickley will present virtual screenings of Looking For A Lady With Fangs And A Moustache from April 30. From an April 8 New York Times review:

In Khyentse Norbu’s “Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache,” a Nepalese entrepreneur searches for spiritual enlightenment, hoping to avert a fatal prophecy. Looking to set up a new cafe, Tenzin (Tsering Tashi Gyalthang) sees unnerving visions after scouting an abandoned temple. With mounting fear, he follows the gnomic suggestions of a Buddhist monk in shades and a master sage, who insists that he find a goddess manifest on earth, known as a dakini.
The writer-director Norbu, a Buddhist spiritual leader making his fifth feature, presents Tenzin as a hip modern guy in bluejeans with a wide smile that vanishes as soon as he has to seek self-awareness. The cozy streets of Kathmandu become like a place without a map to Tenzin as he scans passing strangers for signs of divine femininity and leaves his business partners in the lurch. There’s a slight narrative echo of romantic comedy as the monk and the master sage feed him tips and ritual gestures, and it appears the woman he seeks could be right under his nose, in the form of a singer (Tenzin Kunsel) from his music lessons.

Tickets and showtime information is not yet available.

"Let's Take a Look at Vietnam's Education System," April 10 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Vietnamese Student Association will host "Let's Take a Look at Vietnam's Education System" on April 10.

Interested in learning about the education system in Vietnam? Now is your only chance!
This is our first time hosting an event in collaboration with Teach For Vietnam, a non-profit organization that is working towards removing education inequality and building sustainable systems for children in Vietnam.
We will be having a very SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: TRANG NGUYEN - THE CEO OF TEACH FOR VIETNAM. She will be presenting about:
1. What is the impact of COVID-19 on Vietnam's education?
2. What are the educational differences between the US and Vietnam, urban and rural areas?
3. Educational crisis that Vietnam is and Teach For Vietnam’s solutions
So please save the date and join with us on Saturday, April the 10th at 7:30 PM EST!

The event runs from 7:30 to 8:30 pm on Zoom and is free and open to the public.

CMU's annual Matsuri 2021, online April 9 - 10.

Carnegie Mellon University's Japanese Student Association presents a Matsuri ("festival") each spring, though this year's event has shifted online April 9 and 10, with a focus on supporting local Japanese businesses. From its Facebook page:

This year, JSA is launching a virtual Matsuri, with all kinds of opportunities to engage with Japanese music, film, food and games! This year, we're launching Matsuri to advocate for local Japanese businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Get ready for some authentic culture and fun!
Performances:
This year for Matsuri, we’ll be showcasing several performances, highlighting all kinds of traditional Japanese music, dance and literature. During our YouTube live stream, you’ll be able to see all of these featured artists and creators. These performances will feature centuries-old practice from Japan as well as other regions of the world. We hope you’ll join us!
Food:
This year, JSA is supporting local Japanese restaurants and stores affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can support your favorite local stores in two ways:
1. Order in food from restaurants like sushi fuku, fujiya ramen, and teppanyaki kyoto at a spicy discount price!
2. Buy care packages for yourself and your friends and pick it up at the UC.
Thank you for supporting your local stores and make sure to come to our other matsuri event as well!
Games:
Matsuri 2021 will feature both synchronous and asynchronous games that will allow participants to choose which type of games they want to join in. For the main synchronous session, we will be holding a virtual escape room, where participants will solve different puzzles as fast as possible for the prize! Across the duration of Matsuri, there will be new challenges posted at the start of the day and participants will submit video responses of the challenges to earn points, and the person with the most points at the end will win! There will also be shorter questions or brainteasers posted on social media for smaller prizes.

Visit each day's portal to access the online activities.