2019 Taiwanese film Detention (返校) available virtually via Row House Cinema.

The 2019 Taiwanese film Detention (返校) is now available virtually via Row House Cinema for a limited time.

Set in Taiwan during the “White Terror” period of martial law, a high school girl awakens in an empty school only to find that her entire community has been abandoned except for one other student. Soon they realize that they have entered a realm filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts.

Adapted from the eponymous video game, this masterful debut from director and co-writer John Hsu creates an at once shocking historical drama, a melancholy coming-of-age tale, and a nightmarish horror film; that recalls the best of Guillermo del Toro (The Devil’s Backbone, and Pan’s Labyrinth), and with enough blood, striking sound design, art direction and special effects to evoke the best of Silent Hill.

The film is available to those in North America, and the cost to unlock is $10.

"Lions Stories: an introduction to Chinese Lion Dance," November 4 at Northland Public Library.

via @SteelDragonMartialArts

Northland Public Library will host "Lions Stories: an introduction to Chinese Lion Dance" with Chris Young of Steel Dragon on November 4.

An emblematic symbol of Chinese culture, the Chinese lion dance has a continuous history of over a thousand years. Used in ceremonies ranging from the more formal and solemn to the more informal and joyous, a lion dance can also be used to tell a story and simply entertain. Join Chris Young, founder of Gong Lung or Steel Dragon, as he presents overview of lion dance, including its history, some of the different types, and some of the structure and meanings in the dance.

The event runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm; it's free, but registration and masks are required. Northland Public Library is located at 300 Cumberland Road in McCandless Township (map).

Short films from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America part of Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival, November 18 - 21.

Though the Three Rivers Film Festival will feature no full-length Asian films this year, its companion festival, the Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival running from November 18 through 21, will feature shorts from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America.

The program of films includes "Americanized," "Raspberry," and "Windup" from the USA; "Annah la Javanaise" from Indonesia; "Colorful" and "Georgia" from Korea; and "Dinner" from Vietnam. The short films are grouped into various blocks and play at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty (map) and, in some cases, virtually. Tickets are available online.
Still from "Windup."

Japanese-English Language Social Hour at Pitt, November 18.

Interior of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning, from the 2019 Yasuda Women's University promotional catalog.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present an Japanese-English Language Social Hour on November 18.

A Japanese-English language social hour to bring together visiting students from Yasuda University and local Pitt students. An evening of language and cultural exchange.

Pitt's English Language Institute has hosted large cohorts of Yasuda Women's University students each fall since 2016. The event starts at 4:00 pm in the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall, and is open to members of the Pitt community compliant with its health regulations.

K-pop Halloween Party, October 31 at Phat's Bar in Oakland.

Phat's Bar in Oakland will host a Kpop Halloween Party on October 31, in collaboration with the local group that hosts BTS cupsleeve events. The 18+ event runs from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am, and attendees must be vaccinated.

Phat's opened in January and is located at 418 Semple St. (map). It's run by the family behind Ineffable Cà Phê.

Virtual Reading & Conversation: "Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief” by Victoria Chang (w/ Kao Kalia Yang, “The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir”), October 27 online with White Whale Bookstore.

Bloomfield's White Whale Bookstore will host an online reading and conversation on October 27 with Victoria Chang and Kao Kalia Yang.

We’re looking forward to virtually welcoming Victoria Chang to Pittsburgh in celebration of her most recent book: Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief. She’ll be joined in conversation by Kao Kalia Yang, who’s the author of The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir.

Eric Nam in Pittsburgh, February 16.

Korean-American singer Eric Nam will perform in Pittsburgh on February 16, he announced this afternoon. Tickets for the show at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale will go on sale on October 20.

Kelly Yang part of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series, October 24.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present Kelly Yang on October 24 as part of its "Words & Pictures" series.

New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang is back with another heartwarming and inspiring story of Mia and friends!

Mia Tang is going for her dreams! After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family — to China! A total dream come true! Mia can’t wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen. As she roams around Beijing, witnessing some of the big changes China’s going through, Mia thinks about the turbulent changes in her own life. Mia is more determined than ever, now that she finally has . . . room to dream!

Kelly Yang is the author of Front Desk, which won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen a Best Book of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, the New York Public Library, and may others. Kelly’s family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang.

The online lecture starts at 6:00 pm and is free, and will be available online for one week.

1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) at Row House Cinema for Silent Sunday 2021, October 24.

The 1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) will play at Row House Cinema on October 24 as part of the theater's Silent Sunday 2021.

A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife in this Japanese silent film, but a strange storm has an odd effect on the patients.

Tickets are $22 and allow guests to see as many films as they wish. The day of movies starts at 12:05 pm, with A Page of Madness beginning at 2:15 pm. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street (map) in Lawrenceville.

2004 Studio Ghibli film Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) in Pittsburgh, October 24, 25, and 28.

The 2004 Studio Ghibli film Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) will play in Pittsburgh on October 24, 25, and 28 as part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2021. From the distributor:

From director Hayao Miyazaki and the legendary Studio Ghibli, Howl’s Moving Castle is an Academy Award®-nominated acclaimed fantasy based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones.

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl's wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world. Featuring the voice talents of Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer and Jean Simmons.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson, and tickets are available online. The October 24 and 28 shows are dubbed in English while the October 25 show is in Japanese with English subtitles.