4000 Bras Decorate Bridge, Against Breast Cancer

4,000 bras began flapping in the breeze, Wednesday,  on Hot Metal Bridge, Pittsburgh, high above the Monongahela, in support of breast cancer awareness.

The 'Bras Across The Bridge' is hosted by American Eagle's Aerie, in connection with the Bright Pink nonprofit group that promotes early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women.

The bras will hang on the bridge for a few weeks in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. After the campaign ends, the bras will be washed and donated. One dollar from every bra sold in Aerie stores through October -- up to a maximum of $50,000 -- will go toward Bright Pink.

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Posted in Bras Across the Bridge, Breast Cancer, Hot Metal Bridge, Pics, Pink Ribbon, Pittsburgh

Jerry Meals, I Really Just Wanted to Go Home

It's a funny night, it's a white night, so it becomes a tired today. I appreciate Jerry Meals, home-plate umpire of game this early morning, to end the game before 2am.

He really wanted to go home, I think. It's a 6 Hours and 39 minutes game. He never expected it. I did. You did. We enjoyed the long game, but it's a completely annoying to him. Yeah, I understand. It's a Instinct and Human nature.

Scott Proctor already knew it's safe. He had ceremony just after hitting supter-strong ground ball

What can I say, I'm proud of Pirates. It's never been expected in last not a few years. I have no idea, but Pirates is getting stronger and stronger.

It's a fun baseball season!

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Posted in Baseball, Braves, Crazy Call, Jerry Meals, MLB, Pirates, Pittsburgh, Scott Proctor

U2 Is Ready to Bang at Heinz Field.

The Irish rock band's 360 Tour, which touches down at Heinz Field tonight, is the highest-grossing tour of all time with a massive steel structure -- dubbed "The Claw" -- that takes more than four days to construct and requires 136 touring crew members and 120 local stagehands.

Pittsburgh is the penultimate stop on this run, which began in 2009 and has topped the Rolling Stones' Bigger Bang Tour, with ticket sales expected to top $700 million and fans numbering more than 7 million.

Followings are representative U2's songs (actually impossible to list them, hundreds of songs)

#1 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart

• With or Without You.
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.

Grammy Record of the Year or Song of the Year

• Beautiful Day
• Walk On
• Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own

#1 UK Chart

• Desire
• The Fly
• Discothèque
• Beautiful Day
• Vertigo
• Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own

Others, but fascinating songs

• New Year's Day
• Where the Streets Have No Name
• One
• Stay (Faraway, So Close!)

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Posted in Heinz Field, Irish Rock Band, Pittsburgh, U2, U2 Pittsburgh

The Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh

As you know, Pittsburgh has lots of Museums near Downtown and Oakland. Pittsburghers enjoy those place with family, friends, and children. Even though I stay here just 3 years and I am not a citizen, but I know that it's a proud of Pittsburghers. The Heinz History Center is also one of those places.

Introduction

As the largest history museum in PA, this is the place where history comes alive. From the pre-revolutionary drama of the French & Indian War to the legendary match-ups of the Super Steelers, discover 250 years of Pittsburgh history at the Senator John Heinz History Center.

An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the History Center is the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. The 275,000 sq. ft. museum features six floors of long-term and changing exhibition space, including the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, a dynamic museum-within-a-museum, and the Library & Archives, an extensive scholarly resource documenting 250 years of life in Western Pennsylvania.

The History Center presents the most compelling stories from American history with a Western Pennsylvania connection, all in an interactive environment perfect for visitors of every age.

Address

• 1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

View Larger Map

Hours

• The History Center's exhibits and Museum Shop are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The History Center is closed Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Admission

• Adults: $10.00
• Senior Citizens (62+): $9.00
• Students with a valid school ID: $5.00
• Children ages 4-17: $5.00
• Children age 3 and under: Free
• History Center Members: Free

For more information, see Heinz History Center Website.

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Posted in Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh History Center, Pittsburgh Museum

DUI vs DWI and DUI Law In Pennsylvania

DUI and DWI are both pretty serious offenses. What's the differences? from diffen.com,

DUI stands for Driving Under the Influence and DWI stands for either Driving While Intoxicated or Driving While Impaired. Another term that is sometimes used is Operating While Impaired (OWI). All these terms relate to driving after consuming alcohol or drugs. The drugs don't have to be illegal for a DUI to be issued - they can be illegal narcotics, over the counter medication, or prescribed medication. Depending upon the state where you live, the severity of the offense may vary.

In some states, the drunk driving laws differentiate between a DUI and a DWI, where the DUI is a lesser charge. In these states, a DUI usually signifies a lesser degree of intoxication, which is determined by a person's blood alcohol level at the time of arrest. Sometimes, states will allow the charges of a DWI to be reduced to a DUI. In the case of a reduction from a DWI to a DUI, certain conditions typically must be met, such as the incident being a first offense, the defendant’s display of remorse for the action, and a blood alcohol level that was not drastically over the legal limit. For example, the state of New York differentiates between DWI and DUI by establishing a blood alcohol level of .08 as the legal limit for DWI. If a person has a blood alcohol level of .07, the charges may be reduced to a DUI, which carries a lesser punishment.

Some states (like Virginia and New Jersey) do not recognize any difference between a DUI and a DWI. As far as the laws of these states are concerned, any blood alcohol level over the specified limit is a crime that will be punished in the same manner.

In Minnesota, on the other hand, there is technically no such thing as a DUI because they only use the term DWI.

The distinction for the federal government is drawn based on severity. A DWI is issued when the blood alcohol content (BAC) is over the 0.08 limit, whereas a DUI is a less severe term, given when a persons BAC is under 0.08.


In Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania DUI Laws: Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Limits and Implied Consent

• "Per Se" BAC Limit: 0.08 Percent
• Zero Tolerance (Underage) BAC Limit: 0.02 Percent
• Enhanced Penalty (Aggravated) BAC Limit: 0.16
• Implied Consent to Submit to BAC Test: Yes

Pennsylvania DUI Laws: Select Penalties

• Minimum License Suspension or Revocation (1st, 2nd, 3rd offense):  none, 1 year, 1 year
• Mandatory Alcohol Education, Assessment and Treatment: Assessment & Treatment
• Vehicle Confiscation Possible: No
• Ignition Interlock Device Possible: Yes

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Posted in Driving Under the Influence, Driving While Impaired, Driving While Intoxicated, DUI, DWI, Operating While Impaired, OWI, PA DUI, Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh, Campus Computing Lab Location and Hour

There are 8 Computing Labs in 7 Places (Buildings) around Oakland.

View University of Pittsburgh Computing Lab in a larger map

Check out the Summer Hour. It's opened later and closed earlier that regular hour.

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
B-40 Alumni Hall	CLOSED	8am – 5pm	8am – 5pm	8am – 5pm	8am – 5pm	8am – 5pm	CLOSED
B-06 Benedum Hall	CLOSED	9am – 9pm	9am – 9pm	9am – 9pm	9am – 9pm	9am – 6pm	CLOSED
G-27 Cathedral of Learning	CLOSED	8am – 6pm	8am – 6pm	8am – 6pm	8am – 6pm	8am – 6pm	CLOSED
G-62 Cathedral of Learning	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED
230 David Lawrence Hall	24 Hours	24 Hours	24 Hours	24 Hours	24 Hours	24 Hours	24 Hours
112 Hillman Library	Noon – 9pm	7:50am – 10pm	7:50am – 10pm	7:50am – 10pm	7:50am – 10pm	7:50am – 6pm	10am – 6pm
1200 Wesley W. Posvar Hall	CLOSED	9am – 9pm	9am – 9pm	9am – 9pm	9am – 9pm	9am – 6pm	CLOSED
C-114 Sutherland Hall	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED	CLOSED

University of Pittsburgh, Campus Computing Lab Summer Hours

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Posted in Campus Computing Lab, Campus Computing Lab Location and Hour, Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh

Student Part-Time Jobs, Information Technology, University of Pittsburgh

Computing Service & Systems Development Center (CSSD), University of Pittsburgh, opens some students part time jobs. It's a good opportunity to build your carriers.

You, a Pitt student, can apply job here.

Review the following job descriptions.

1. Resident Consultant
Residential Consultants (ResCons) are responsible for providing quality technical support to University students living in residence halls. This includes establishing network connectivity, providing basic software installation and support, reinstalling operating systems, eliminating malware, and general software troubleshooting.Candidates must be full-time undergraduate students, live on campus, and work 15-20 hours per week. Good academic standing is required (a minimum 2.5 QPA) to apply and must be maintained during employment. Experience with Windows and Macintosh computers and current operating systems is required. In cooperation with the University Housing Services, Res Cons are provided a room and board stipend as compensation.

2. Computer Lab Consultant
Computing Lab Consultants are responsible for maintaining the campus computing labs, resetting passwords, distributing software to students, and answering general questions. They also ensure that the computers and printers within the labs are functioning properly and that print jobs are filed in an organized manner.Computing Lab Consultants must be students, able to work 12-20 hours per week. Candidates should be familiar with Windows and/ or Macintosh computers and their current operating systems. Must be able to lift 30 pounds.A candidate must be enrolled as a student at the University of Pittsburgh in order to work part-time at Computing Services and Systems Development , is not entitled to University benefits (vacation, sick leave, tuition benefits, unemployment compensation, etc.), and may not hold any other University job.

3. OSCAR Consultant
Off-campus Student Computer Assistance and Resources (OSCAR) Consultants are responsible for providing quality technical support to University students that do not reside in the residence halls. This includes establishing network connectivity, providing basic software installation and support, reinstalling operating systems, eliminating malware, and general software troubleshooting. OSCAR Consultants must be students able to work 12-20 hours per week. Must be able to lift 30 pounds. A candidate must be enrolled as a student at the University of Pittsburgh in order to work part-time at Computing Services and Systems Development, is not entitled to University benefits (vacation, sick leave, tuition benefits, unemployment compensation, etc.), and may not hold any other University job.

4. Technical Support Consultant
Technical Support Consultants are responsible for providing computer technical support for faculty and staff at the University. Responsibilities include diagnosing computer problems and providing resolutions for Macintosh and Windows computers. Other computer related tasks may be assigned. Experience with PC hardware and operating systems is necessary. Applicants must be able to work weekdays between 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., up to 20 hours per week. Pay rate is based on experience.A candidate must be enrolled as a student at the University of Pittsburgh in order to work part-time at Computing Services and Systems Development , is not entitled to University benefits (vacation, sick leave, tuition benefits, unemployment compensation, etc.), and may not hold any other University job.

5. Clerical Assistant
Clerical assistant responsibilities include providing receptionist/front desk telephone support, clerical duties such as typing, copying and filing. Assistants also frequently provide campus delivery/courier service, including in inclement weather.This position requires a high degree of customer contact and previous experience in a professional office environment. Familiarity with using the Windows-based PC’s and programs including Microsoft Word and Excel is also required. Applicants must be able to work up to 20 hours per week between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. A candidate must be enrolled as a student at the University of Pittsburgh in order to work part-time at Computing Services and Systems Development , is not entitled to University benefits (vacation, sick leave, tuition benefits, unemployment compensation, etc.), and may not hold any other University job. Apply now.

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Posted in Computer Service and Systems Development, CSSD, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Student Job, University of Pittsburgh

Yeah, It's Time to Photosynthesize

Yesterday's high was 80 degree and Today's will be greater.  Yeah. It's time to enjoy great sunshine.

Schenley Plaza, Oakland, was having lots of almost naked people to need a photosynthesis yesterday.

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Posted in Pittsburgh, Schenley Plaza

New Branch of Mad Mex in Shadyside

A new branch of Med Mex, a big burrito restaurant, opened in Shadyside, April 25. It's the company's 10th overall and 7th in Pittsburgh Area. The location is 220 South Highland AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15206, just next door of Buffalo Blues.

Happy hour, with lower-priced margaritas, half-price drafts and honey wings, is 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Lunch specials are served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food is half off from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., and the bar is open until 2 a.m.   Website of new Mad Mex here

Hours: Open daily 11am - 2am. The kitchen is open until 1am nightly

Specials

Happy Hour:

Weekdays 4:30 to 6:30pm, 22oz Big Azz Margaritas $7
$3 12oz and $5 16oz House Margaritas
Half off all draft beers and wings

Late Mex:

Every night, 10 to midnight, $7 Big Azz Margaritas
Every night, 11pm to 1am: Half Off Food*:

Student Halfsies

Monday-Thursday 2pm to 4pm. Half Off Food* with valid ID

The menu offers the same tried-and-true concoctions created by executive chef Bill Fuller that have been so successful at other Mad Mexes. The drinks are the same as well, with one addition. Shadyside is trying out frozen red sangria to see how the customers like it.

7 Mad Mex branches in Pittsburgh area can be seen here. Just move your mouse pointer on the image.

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Posted in Burrito Restaurant., Med Max Shadyside, Pittsburgh

Silk Screen 2011, Asian American Film Festival Pittsburgh

Silk Screen is Asian American Film Festival held in May annually in Pittsburgh Area since 2006. Silk Screen hopes to become one the best festivals of its kind in the world, putting Pittsburgh on the world cultural map for Asian Culture, particularly Asian Films.

This year, the festival is held from May 6 to May 26. Locations vary. 23 Movies from Asian country will be screened. I enjoyed 2009 and 2010 festivals. It's really a good chance to meet Asian movies and cultures.

Check full schedule, ticket information, and theaters.

 After Shock  

Regent Square Theater: May 12 @ 7:00PM & May 14 @ 1:30PM
2010/China/Director: Xiaogang Feng/135 min.
Cast: Jingchu Zhang, Daoming Chen, Yi Lu, Chen Li (Language: Mandarin)
Festivals and Awards: Asia Pacific Screen Award (Best Performance by an Actor & Best Film)
China’s 2011 entry for the Academy Awards, Aftershock, is a emblematic recreation of the disaster that killed over 240,000 in China. In the wake of the 1976 earthquake in Tangshan, a young mother, Li Yuanni, is faced with the gravest decision imaginable. Her 7-year-old twins are buried beneath the rubble and only one can be saved. The symbolic reverberations of the tragedy are enduring and continue long after the happening for Li when she discovers the true outcome of her daughter’s fate.


 ASHES 

Regent Square Theater: May 11 @ 9:00PM & May 14 @ 4:30PM
2010/India & USA/Director: Ajay Naidu/77 min
Cast: Firdous Bamji, Heather Burns, Maurice Carr, Samrat Chakrabarti (Language: English)
In Ajay Naidu’s directorial debut, he tells the story of Ashes, a young Indo-American living in New York. WIth monetary pressures to take care of his mentally ill brother, Ashes gets involved with a small gang to pursue an easy path to wealth. As his brother’s condition steadily worsens, Ashes approaches a life of hardcore crime. Which path should Ashes take? A story of Indian values.


 BAMBARA WALALLA 

Harris Theater: May 7 @ 2:00 PM
Melwood Screening Room: May 14 @ 9:30PM
2009/Sri Lanka/Director: Athula Liyanage/108 min.
Cast: Damitha Abeyratne, Neeta Fernando, Athula Liyanage, Mahendra Perera
Language: Shanghainese/ Sinhala
Festivals and Awards: Special Jury’s REMI Awards for Best Cinematography, and Best Direction
A tragic rendering of irreconcilable wrongs, Bambara Walalla follows newly freed Podi Eka, released after 17 years in prison, on his journey to regain a semblance of normalcy and meaning in his tattered reality. Hindered by his lack of education, Podi struggles alone until meeting Mal, a coffin maker with similar problems and vigor for life. In this new companionship Podi embarks on a journey to find love and learn the significance of courage and responsibility as he picks up the pieces.


 DEAR DOCTOR 

Harris Theater: May 7 @ 7:00PM
Melwood Screening Room: May 15 @ 2:00PM
2009/Japan/Director: Miwa Nishikawa/127 min
Cast: Tsurube Shofukutei, Eita, Teruyuki Kagawa, Haruka Igawa (Language: Japanese)
Festivals and Awards: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actor; Award of the Japanese Academy; Best Film, Kinema Junpo Academy; Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor; Yokohama Film Festival.
Medical student Keisuke Soma arrives to complete his internship in a deceptively quaint, picturesque village where nothing and no one is as simple as one would assume. As Soma learns his way around the village and acquaints himself with the village’s beloved doctor, secrets are revealed, characters are re-examined, and the truth is far more complicated and ambiguous than would seem to befit the idyllic setting.


 DO DOONI CHARR 

Melwood Screening Room: May 9 @ 8:30PM & May 14 @ 1:30PM
2010/India/Director: Habib Faisal/120 min
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Archit Krishna, Aditi Vasudev, Akhilendra Mishra
Legendary screen team of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh return in this delightful slice of life tale of family life. The Duggals are an eccentric and loving, but economically challenged, middle class Dehli family. Father Santosh, (Kapoor) manages to provide a comfortable life for his family on his paltry schoolteacher salary. Long resigned to live simply, the Duggals are at once presented with material possibilities and temptations never before imagined. Do Dooni Chaar, often hilarious and always heartwarming, is a gentle satire of consumerism and materialistic values that pervade much of modern India today.


 DOG SWEAT 

Regent Square Theater: May 7 @ 3:00 PM & May 13 9:30PM
2010/Iran/Director: Hossein Keshavarz/90 min.
Cast: Ahmad Akbarzadeh, Tahereh Esfahani, Bagher Forohar, Shahrokh Taslimi
Language: Persian, English Subtitles
Nominated for Independent Spirit Award (Somone to Watch Award)
Hossein Keshavarz’s, Dog Sweat gives us a glimpse of six characters who struggle to find their place in contemporary Iranian society. Throughout the film, the characters have direct encounters with tragedy, sexual frustrations, discrimination, and more as they attempt to balance their personal lives with the social norms of the Western Culture. Dog Sweat has a unique and natural style as it follows six unconnected characters who are really not so different.


 DOOMAN RIVER 

Harris Theater: May 8 @ 3:00PM
Melwood Screening Room: May 11 @ 7:00PM
2010/China/Director: Lu Zhang/90 min.
Cast: Jian Cui, Lan Yin, Jin-Long Lin, Xuansheng Jin (Language: Korean)
Festivals and Awards: Crystal Bear - Special Mention (Best Film)
Through the eyes of 12-year-old Chang-ho, we see the culmination of political unrest along the icy river that separates China and North Korea. Chang-ho’s friendship with Korean escapee, Li Jinglin develops over the boys’ shared love of soccer and sheds light on the dark tension brewing between famine-stricken refugees and the receiving border village.
“Dooman River is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2011 film series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.”


 I AM - OPENING NIGHT SELECTION 

Harris Theater: May 6th @ 7:00PM OPENING NIGHT FILM
2010/India/Director: Onir/95 minutes
Cast: Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Sanjay Suri, Purab Kohli
Language: English and Hindi with subtitles
Festivals and Awards: Silver Lion (Best Director), UNICEF Award. Official Selection/Opening Film:
Winner of I-VIEW 2010s Engendered Award for Outstanding Contribution. Official Selection: Vancouver
International Film Festival (Canadian Premier) Oct. 2010
[Film Contains Sexual Content]
“I Am” is about people with fractured lives held together by unbroken dreams. Indian auteur, Onir, once again shatters clichés and pushes boundaries in I Am. I Am’s narrative is multilayered and visually arresting. I Am is a meditation on darker often unexplored themes in Indian society: child abuse, criminalization of homosexuality, single motherhood and the ever looming issue in the Kashmir.


 ITI MRINALINI 

Melwood Screening Room: May 12 8:00PM & May 15 4:30PM
2010/India/Director: Aparna Sen/128 minutes
Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Aparna Sen, Rajat Kapoor, Priyanshu Chatterjee
Language: Bengali
Festivals and Awards: U.S. premiere at 9th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
Aparna Sen directs and stars in Iti Mrinalini, a powerful portrait of an aging actress on the brink of suicide. In a last ditch effort to prevent the press from exploiting her personal life, Mrinalini attempts to destroy all of her possessions, churning up forgotten memories in the process. Loosely based on the occurrences of Sen’s own life as an actress, we see Mrinalini’s rise to stardom, intimate trials, and public struggles within the Bengali film industry in the 70s.


 LIVING IN SEDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES 

Regent Square: May 9 @ 9:00PM & May 14 @ 9:00PM
2011/USA/Director: Ian Gamazon/72 min.
Cast: Long Nguyen, Quynn Ton (Language: Vietnamese)
[Film Contains Violent Content]
A dark reverie of vengeance and terror, Ian Gamazon’s “Living in Seduced Circumstances” is an eerie thriller with an unlikely villain. Mr. Thanh (Long Nguyen) finds himself gagged, bloodied, and bound to a wheelchair by 8-months-pregnant Mihn (Quynn Ton). Through playful manipulation of time and dreamlike photography we see that Mihn’s torturous acts are not product of a homicidal psychosis, rather a calculated revenge.


 SAIGON ELECTRIC 

Melwood Screening Room: May 9 @ 6:00PM & May 13 @ 8:30PM
2011/Vietnam/Director: Stephane Gauger/106 min.
Cast: Van Trang, Quynh Hoa, Khoung Ngoc, Elly Nguyen
Language: Vietnamese, English Subtitles
Focusing on the struggles of young adults in modern Vietnam, Saigon Electric tells the story of Mai, a ribbon dancer from the countryside who moves to Saigon in hopes of attending a prestigious dance academy. However, when she doesn’t get in, she befriends Kim, a local hip-hop dancer with the Saigon Fresh crew. Mai soon gets involved with the crew as they prepare for the largest hip-hop competition in South Korea to battle the North Killaz. However, the North Killaz aren’t the only thing standing in Saigon Fresh’s way.


 SF STORIES 

Regent Square Theater: May 8 @ 4:30 PM, May 11 @ 6:30PM & May 14 6:30PM
2010/USA/Director: Raul Jocson/112 min
Cast: Michael Cheng, Tiffany Yoshida, Michael Xiang, Josh Pollock (Language: English)
Festivals and Awards: Winner Best Screenplay LA Asian Pacific Film Festival 2010; Winner Best Narrative Feature Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival 2010
No matter the city and no matter size, strange and separate lives meet and intersect in inexplicable ways. While there is the potential for love, fate can only do so much. Pittsburgh native Raul Jocson makes his impressive directorial debut with nine intricately interwoven tales, ripe with humor and intelligence as he takes us on a ride through the hills of a local’s melancholic San Francisco and into the fated love story of Michael and Wendy. Brought together by fortune, their own separate neuroses continually threaten to break them apart.


 THE BREAK-UP CLUB 

Melwood Screening Room: May 8 @ 4:30PM, May 14 @ 4:00PM
2010/Hong Kong/Director: Barbara Wong Chun-Chun/115 min
Cast: Jaycee Chan, Fiona Sit (Language: Cantonese)
After meeting with a documentary filmmaker, Joe is given a camera to capture the existence of, “The Break Up Club,” a website that promises to reunite him with his girlfriend…as long as he breaks up the relationship of someone close to him. Blurring the line between fantasy and reality, Joe’s story brings him face to face with the pains, complexities and insatiable energy that come with being madly in love for the first time.


 THE KNOT 

Regent Square Theater: May 7 @ 7:30PM & May 15 @ 3:30PM
2010/Japan/Director: Yuichi Onuma/91 min
Cast: Muck Akazawa, Junichi Kawamoto, So Hirosawa (Language: Japanese)
[Film Contains Sexual Content]
Fiery and intrepid, Yoichi Onuma’s “The Knot” is a chronicle of first love reconnected through forbidden circumstances. Newlywed Ayako slips into married life with quiet resilience, suppressing her longing for the explicit ventures of her youth. After returning to her husband’s hometown to take care of her ailing father-in-law, a chance meeting with a man of her past forces Ayako to confront her choices and question her faithfulness in this bittersweet love story.


 THE LIGHT THIEF 

Harris Theater: May 8 @ 7:30PM
Melwood Screening Room: May 12 @ 6:00PM
2010/Kyrgyzstan/ Director: Aktan Arym Kubat/80 min
Cast: Aktan Arym Kubat, Taalaikan Abazova, Askat Sulaimanov, Asan Amanov
Language: Kyrgyz
Festivals and Awards: Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2010 & Locarno International Film Festival 2010
Little-known Kyrgyzstan is at the forefront of this beautiful and poetic story of an electrician in a remote, impoverished village in the Kyrgyz Mountains. The flame that lights the homes and souls of his small home, Mr. Light brings warmth and clarity to the lives of the villagers. But, when corruption comes knocking, progress may come at the cost of centuries of tradition.
“The Light Thief is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2011 film series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.”


 THE PIANO IN FACTORY 

Harris Theater: May 8 @ 5:00PM
Melwood Screening Room: May 13 @ 6:00PM
2010/China/Directors: Zhang Meng & Jae-young Kwak/105 min.
Cast: Wang Qian-Yuan, Hailu Qin (Language: Mandarin)
Festivals and Awards: Winner – Best Actor Award Tokyo Int’l Film Festival Official Selection – Toronto Int’l Film Festival, Rotterdam Int’l Film Festival, Dubai Film Festival, Cinemanila Int’l Film Festival.
An endearing ballad of devotion, “The Piano in a Factory” captures the moment that Chen (Wang Qian-yuan) finds that his estranged wife has returned after several years to take custody of their daughter. With the decision in his daughter’s hands, Chen begins a desperate and cunning scramble to provide her only wish -- a piano.


 THE TIGER FACTORY 

Regent Square Theater: May 7 @ 1:00PM & May 13 @ 2:30PM
2010/Japan & Malaysia/Director: Woo Ming Jin/84 min
Cast: Fooi Mun Lai, Pearlly Chua, Susan Lee, Rum Nun Chung (Language: Malay)
Festivals and Awards: Cannes Director’s Fortnight Section 2010
[Film Contains Sexual Content]
19-year-old Ping Ping is searching for an escape from her life in Malaysia and the control of her aunt and guardian, Madame Tien. Under the insistence of her aunt, Ping Ping works two exhausting jobs at a pig farm and in the kitchen of a restaurant, and is involved in Madame Tien’s baby racket. She endures the conditions of the racket that pairs immigrant workers with young girls, until a shocking truth about her aunt is revealed.


 THE WHITE MEADOWS 

Harris Theater: May 7 @ 5:00PM
Melwood Screening Room: May 11 @ 9:00PM
2009/Iran/Director: Mohammad Rasoulof/92 minutes
Cast: Hassan Pourshirazi, Younes Ghazali, Mohammad Rabbani, Mohammad Shirvani (Language: Farsi)
Festivals and Awards: Winner of 2009 Asia Africa Special Jury Prize and Muhr Asia Africa Award for Best Actor-Dubai International Film Festival/Nominated for Golden Shell Award-San Sebastian International Film Festival.
Rahmat is tasked with collecting the abundant tears of the islanders in Iran’s great saltwater Lake Urmia. Rahmat’s tale is part mythic and part parable for an ancient land whose sorrows are all too apparent and whose dreams and beauty drown within them. The White Meadows visual metaphors evoke themes of social control and the role of the outcast in a society. Stark, mesmerizing, and entrancing, Rasoulof’s fable works best as an eerie poetic feast for the eye.
“The White Meadows is co-presented by the Global Film Initiative and is part of the Global Lens 2011 film series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.”


 THREE VEILS 

Regent Square Theater: May 7 @ 5:00PM, May 10 @ 9:30PM & May 13 @ 7:00PM
2010/USA/Director: Rolla Sebak/100 minutes
Cast: Sheetal Sheth, Angela Zahra and Mercedes Masöhn
Language: English and occasional Arabic with English subtitles
[Film Contains Sexual & Violent Content]
Rolla Sebak’s memorable and taboo shattering Three Veils recounts the distinct lives of three young American women of Middle Eastern descent as they struggle with identity, faith, and sexuality. Far from monolithic, each of their struggles is unique, yet brilliantly woven together in a tapestry of first generation immigrant experiences. Sebak’s gentle unveiling of the women’s connections leaves the viewer breathless.


 UDAAN 

Regent Square Theater: May 10 @ 6:00PM
Melwood Screening Room: May 14 @ 6:30PM
2010/India/Director: Vikramaditya Motwane/134 min
Cast: Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor, Rajat Barmecha, Manjot Singh
Language: Hindi
Festivals and Awards: Cannes Un Certain Regard Nominee 2010
Borrowing a slice from everyone’s life, Udaan makes them into a first-hand account of a troubled teen facing a tyrant father, a step brother he never knew existed and the journey to free himself from a world that’s slowly suffocating him. Described as poignant, unsettling and disturbing, it is a brilliant take of an adolescent defying expectations and seeking out the passionate gems of life that are too often abandoned.


 WEDDING PLACE 

Regent Square Theater: May 8 @ 2:00PM, May 9 @ 7:00PM & May 13 @ 4:30PM
2010/USA & Korea/Director: Christine Yoo/93 Minutes
Cast: Brian Tee, Kang Hye-jung, Margaret Cho, Bobby Lee, Stephen Park
Language: English
Get married or die. Either way, there isn’t much time left for Jason Kim. The 29-year old advertising executive is struggling to overcome the terrible fate of an ancient family curse that threatens his very life if he is not married by his 30th birthday. A feel-good romantic comedy, it all takes off when the picture perfect girl, Jinnie Park, abandons Jason at the altar of the Wedding Palace.


 WOMEN WITHOUT MEN 

Melwood Screening Room: May 8 @ 2:30PM
Andy Warhol Museum: May 15 @ 7:00PM
Cast: Pegah Ferydoni, Arita Shahrzad, Shabnam Tolouei, Orsi Toth, Navid Akhavan, Bijan Daneshmand
Language: Farsi with English subtitles
Festivals and Awards: Winner, Silver Lion: Venice Film Festival
[Film Contains Sexual Content]
In the summer of 1953, the United States and Britain sponsored a coup of democratically elected leader of Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh. At this turbulent moment in history, we meet four Persian women. Each of them is a distinct representation of the prescribed roles of women in Iran. Their lives and stories are interwoven as they seek freedom and solitude. Renowned visual artist, Shirin Neshat, presents a visual feast and an emotional wallop from the very first sequence.


 ZERO BRIDGE 

Regent Square Theater: May 8 @ 12:00PM, May 15 @ 1:00PM
2008/India & US/Director: Tariq Tapa/96 min
Cast: Mohamad Imran Tapa, Taniya Khan, Ali Mohommad Dar (Language: Urdu, subtitles in English)
Festivals and Awards: Best Film: Leeds International Film Festival and Hidden Gems Film Festival, Audience Award: Mumbai International Film Festival
Tariq Tapa’s, “Zero Bridge” is a hopeful portrayal of Diliwar, a 17-year-old masonry apprentice turned pick-pocket, anxious to leave his double life in Srinagar City, Kashmir. A chance encounter with one of his victims produces an unlikely friendship, but Diliwar’s crimes soon put both of their futures on the line.

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Posted in Asian American Film Festival, Film Festival Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Silk Screen, Silk Screen Pittsburgh