From August to December in the Baltimore region, there are many films related to the countries of our sister cities.

Aug 25 / Japanese film

Where Chimneys Are Seen

Date: Saturday, August 25, 2018
Location: The Crown, 1910 N. Charles Street, Baltimore
More info: Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Facebook page

Sep 4 / Japanese film

My Small Steps from Hiroshima

This moving documentary tells the story of Kaoru Ogura, a Japanese American, who aided foreign correspondents and writers after the Hiroshima bombing, allowing the world to have it’s first understanding of the reality of the nuclear age and affects of radiation. Presented by Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Committee & NHK World. Japanese Producer Junichiro (Jay) Ike will make comments along with local historians.
Date: Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at 7pm
Location: Parkway Theatre, 5 West North Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Admission: Free. Seating is limited. 
More info: Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Facebook page

Sep 13 / Korean film

Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring

Part of an ongoing film series co-presented by the Korean Cultural Center DC and Parkway Theatre.

Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2018 at 7pm. Light Korean appetizers at 6:30pm before the film.
Location: Parkway Theatre, 5 West North Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
More info: Parkway website

Sep 18 / Japanese film

Celebrating Yayoi Kusama: Self-Obliteration & Kusama – Infinity

“Self-Obliteration” is an experimental short film produced by Jud Yalkut and Kusama Yayoi; “Kusama Infinity” is a documentary about the queen of polka dots, Yayoi Kusama, one of the most popular artists in the world today. Hosted by MICA film department, Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister Cities and Nippon Motion.
Date: Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at 7pm
Location: Parkway Theatre, 5 West North Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Admission: Free. Seating is limited. 
More info: Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Facebook page
Kusama Infinity is also screening at Parkway Theatre starting on Sept 21.

Sep 28–29 / Baltimore Japan Art Festival with Japanese films

Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister Cities partners with Nippon Motion on this festival in the Station North district.

Friday, September 28

• “The Night is Short, Walk on Girl” film at Charles Theatre
• Japanese music & visual dance party at The Crown.

Saturday, September 29

• Aki Matsuri hosted by Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister Cities, all-ages outdoor event featuring workshops, food, games & performances at YNot Lot in Station North
• Exhibition reception and lecture with illustrator Yusuke Nakamura at MICA Brown Center
• A selection of acclaimed film shorts from NY Japan CineFest 2018 at MICA Brown Center

Admission: Free but RSVP required.
More info: Nippon Motion Facebook page and Baltimore Japan Art Fest website

Oct 2–8 / Baltimore International Black Film Festival

The annual Baltimore International Black Film Festival (BIBFF) promotes and celebrates culturally significant films directed, produced, and staring African American and members of the African Diaspora. We also prominently feature and celebrate films with content of interest to the Same Gender Loving – Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (SGL-LGBT) community.
Dates: Tuesday, October 2 to Monday, October 8, 2018
Location: Charles Theatre, Motor House, and Parkway Theatre
More info & tickets: Festival website

Festival highlights include:

Opening film on Oct 3 related to Liberia and Japan

Baltimore’s Gbarnga Liberia and Kawasaki Japan sister city committees are supporting the screening of Out of My Hand, the opening film of the film festival. It tells the story of a Liberian rubber plantation worker, who emigrates to New York in hope of finding a better life but is stymied when hope is in short supply.  The Japanese director of the film, Mr. Fukunaga, will send a video message for the opening evening. Dr. Yoshihiko Higuchi, First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan, will share his experiences, talking about how he was at the premiere of “Out of My Hand” in Liberia in early 2017, when he was on staff at the Japan embassy in Ghana. A short film, Othello-San, will also be screened this evening.
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2018, 7pm. Film screening is followed by a reception.
Location: Charles Theatre, 1711 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201
More info & tickets: Festival website

Short film from Rotterdam filmmaker on Oct 6

“Here,” a short animation film by Robert-Jonathan Koeyers, a graduate film student in Rotterdam (one of Baltimore’s Sister Cities), is part of suite of films called “Black Lives Matter” shown on October 6.

Date: Saturday, October 6, 2018, 12:30pm.
Location: University of Baltimore Learning Commons, 1415 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore MD 21201

More info & tickets:
About this session & tickets  (or purchase tickets at the door)
Festival website

The Sultan and the Saint

The Baltimore Luxor Alexandria (Egypt) Sister City Committee (BLASCC) is a co-sponsor of The Sultan and The Saint. The docudrama, which was primarily shot in Baltimore, is part of an important and timely conversation about Islam and Christianity.

Date/Location: Check the website for screenings:  www.sultanandthesaintfilm.com/education/screenings
More info: on the Baltimore Sister Cities website

Looking ahead to 2019…

A special film screening of animated films from our sister cities is being planning for February 2019 at Parkway Theatre! Stay tuned for more details.

In the January 11, 2019 membership meeting of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc., (BSC, Inc.) the following items will be submitted for approval by the BSC, Inc. membership (members of BSC board and the constituent sister city committees). The information has been posted on this webpage so that members have a chance to review it before the January 11, 2019 meeting.

A. 2019 PLAN

(for BSC-level activities and activities for the constituent sister city committees)

View proposed 2019 Plan (PDF)

PDF last updated: 2019-01-10 9pm ET

B. 2018 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

(for BSC-level activities and activities for the constituent sister city committees)

View proposed 2018 Accomplishments Report (PDF)

PDF last updated: 2019-01-10 9pm ET

C. Board Elections

Below is the list of nominees. These nominations were made by the sister city committees and other organizations represented on our BSC, Inc. board. Opposing nominations, if desired, can be made at the January 11, 2019 annual meeting.

Directors of the Board

BSC	BCSCC Representative: Jin Dong Park
	BGSCC Representative: Derrick Chase
	BKSCC Representative: Kathleen Martin
	BLASCC Representative: Tharwat Abouraya
	BPSCC Representative: Diane Homberg
	BRSCC Representative: Gislin Dagnelie
	BXSCC Representative: Danny Evans
BDC	Larry Collins
BOPA	Sheila Goodwin
Mayor’s Office	Ethan Cohen
MIMA	Catalina Rodriguez-Lima

Sister City Committee Chairs

BCSCC	Matthew Lee & Michelle Lee (co-chairs)
BGSCC	Derrick Chase
BKSCC	Yoshinobu Shiota & Kathleen Shiota (co-chairs)
BLASCC	Tharwat Abouraya
BPSCC	Diane Homberg
BRSCC	Rachel Sengers
BXSCC	Xin (Cindy) Wang

Note: Non-voting board members (Currently those are William Fontaine Bell, Hosea Chew, Nancy Taylor, and Shawn Burman) do not represent organizations that are spelled out in the bylaws. The only way to bring them on as Directors is for the board to co-opt them; they cannot be brought on through our elections. Therefore they are not included in the list above for the Jan 11, 2019 meeting. Also note that BSC Officer positions (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary) will be elected in the January 30, 2019 BSC Board meeting.

Date: Thursday, October 11, 2018
Time: Coffee & Registration 1:30–2pm  |  Sessions 2–5pm |  Networking Reception 5–6pm
Location: ETC (Emerging Technology Center) Haven Campus, 101 N. Haven St. 21224, Suite 301
Admission: Free. Register here.

Advice to help your business go global! FREE program from US Commerce Service (part of US Department of Commerce) held at ETC in Baltimore, part of Baltimore Innovation Week (BIW18). There are several sessions throughout the afternoon, ending with a reception. Baltimore Sister Cities & Maryland Sister States will have a table at the event — stop by to learn how we can help your Maryland business expand to our sister regions!

More information and registration

Event page

Register here (on Eventbrite)

 

 

 

Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 5-7pm
Location: Spark Baltimore, 8 Marketplace, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21201
Admission: Open to WTCI members only. Register here.

The Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee is participating on this event. Join them and WTCI members to hear stories and to learn best practices for conducting businesses in South Korea.

Date: Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 5:30-9pm
Location: Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Admission: There is a fee and advance registration is required. Seating is limited. Register here.

Featuring

Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor
Madelyn Ross, Executive Director of SAIS China at the Johns Hopkins University

Program

China’s rapid development and Sino-American relations have a direct impact on the lives of nearly everyone in the United States. the annual CHINA Town Hall is a national conversation about China that provides Americans across the United States and beyond the opportunity to discuss issues in the relationship with leading experts.

The 2018 program includes a catered networking reception, a local address by Madelyn Ross & discussion, and a nationwide webcast featuring Condoleezza Rice. Baltimore event organized by the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee. National webcast organized by the National Committee on U.S.- China Relations (NCUSCR).

More information & registration

Visit the event page

Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Time: Breakout sessions 3:30-4:30pm  |  International Reception and Embassy Wine Tasting 4:30-7pm
Location: World Trade Center Baltimore (21st Floor), 401 East Pratt Street, Baltimore MD 21202
Admission: Buy tickets on WTCI site

World Trade Center Institute’s Maryland State of the Ports attracts major exporters and companies providing services through the Port of Baltimore and BWI Airport. This annual event offers prime networking opportunities with members of the port community, our region’s importers, exporters, distributors, freight forwarders, WTCI board, and others while sampling international drinks at the Embassy Wine Tasting.

Three sister city committees (Baltimore-Kawasaki, Baltimore-Changwon, Baltimore-Rotterdam), and the embassies of Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands are participating in this event. Visit the embassy tables for drink tastings and to learn about ports & technology innovations in these countries! Featuring sake from Kanagawa (Maryland’s sister state in Japan, home of the port city of Kawasaki), drinks from South Korea (home of the port city of Changwon), and beer, jenever, & cheese from the Netherlands (home of the port city of Rotterdam).

Agenda

The event starts with 2 breakout sessions:

• Port Cybersecurity
• Offshore Wind Developments in Maryland

Then:

Date: Aug 2 – 4, 2018
Location: Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center in Aurora, Colorado, USA
Admission: Register here

Connect with Community leaders, citizen diplomats and like-minded volunteers in the name of peace through people.

Whether you’re new to sister cities or are a seasoned participant, learn how cities are taking center stage on global  issues this August at Sister Cities International’s 2018 Annual Conference and Youth Leadership Summit in Aurora, Colorado.

More information

Conference website

Baltimore-Rotterdam Committee coordinated 2 info sessions in Rotterdam
about doing business in Maryland

Date: June 14, 2018 at 17:00-20:00 local time
Location: Venture Café Rotterdam (part of Cambridge Innovation Center)
Stationsplein 45, A4.004 (4th floor of Groot Handelsgebouw)
3013 AK Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Admission: Event is free.

The Baltimore-Rotterdam committee coordinated 2 sessions together with several partners, part of a special “Expansion Café” edition of the weekly Venture Café business networking series. Description of the sessions are below.

Session 1. US/Maryland/Baltimore: Expansion is easier than you think.

17:30-18:30

Expand your Dutch business to the US! We will discuss programs, opportunities, and connections to get you started and help you along the way. We’ll cover the current business climate in the state of Maryland and its largest city, Baltimore, as an anchor and starting point for business growth in the US.

Presenter: Shawn Burman, MKS&H

Session co-hosts: Maryland Department of Commerce, Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), MKS&H, Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee

More information

Session 2. Go International: the Maryland-Netherlands Cybersecurity Soft Landing Program

18:30-19:30

Are you a Dutch cybersecurity company looking to expand into the North American market? We will discuss an exciting opportunity for you to soft land in the state of Maryland, an epicenter of research & innovation in cybersecurity — your gateway to the US cyber market.

Presenter: Philip Meijer, Innovation Quarter

Session co-hosts: Innovation Quarter, Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee

More information

Buy a ticket in our raffle to get a chance to win an Orioles Sky Box! Proceeds benefit Baltimore Sister Cities.

Drawing date is June 24, 2018. Tickets are $20 each — the more tickets you buy, the greater your chance of winning!

Buy tickets online here: go.rallyup.com/5b3622

When you buy a ticket you can select a team (an individual sister city committee) to apply your ticket purchase to that committee, or you can apply your purchase to Baltimore Sister Cities’ general fund.

Prizes:

• 1st winner gets SkyBox and can choose which game to go to (out of all the non-premium Orioles games)
• 2nd winner gets 4 field box seats for July 10 Orioles vs Yankees game
• 3rd winner gets 4 field box seats for July 25 Orioles vs Red Sox game.

Downloadable printable flyer (PDF)

Mayor Catherine Pugh, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant & Multicultural Affairs and Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. welcome all to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at City Hall.  Enjoy Asian food, cultural performances, and much more.

Date: Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 6-9pm
Location: Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday St., Baltimore, MD 21202
Admission: Event is free but advance RSVP is required at apahmcelebration.eventbrite.com . Bring photo ID to the event.