Female directors get the spotlight in new series at the Orinda Theatre

   Passion and history combined to inspire Linda Izcali Scobie and Chloe Ginnever to both honor the female visionaries who helped save the Orinda Theatre decades ago, and female directors who have made their mark in a male-dominated industry.
   “Certain Women,” a monthly film series devoted to celebrating women directors, pairs a feature with short films carefully selected to resonate with and expand upon the themes of the main work. Scobie and Ginnever are longtime film enthusiasts but the history of the Orinda Theatre also played a role in developing and presenting “Certain Women.”
   “If I’m not mistaken, it was a group of women who helped get the Orinda Theatre landmarked when it was in peril,” Ginnever said. “This felt like a way to honor that history while building on the theater’s programming.
   “We picked films we care about, including some that haven’t screened publicly in a while,” Ginnever said.
   In addition, in an era of streaming and personal screens, the shared experience of collective attention takes on renewed significance. “There’s something about watching films in a theater, with other people, that still matters,” she said.
   Scobie drew on years of programming experience to shape the lineup, curating shorts that challenge, complicate or illuminate the main feature.
   “It’s a puzzle,” she said. “We look for short films that amplify or contrast with the feature in ways that make audiences think differently.”
   Her aim is to showcase the full spectrum of women-directed work, from experimental and avant-garde pieces to more narrative-driven films. “We want people to see how expansive that body of work is,” she said.
   The organizers designed the series for a broad audience while emphasizing the theater’s irreplaceable experience.
   “We want people from all walks of life to come through the doors,” Ginnever said. “You can’t replicate this kind of shared experience at home.”
   Scobie added that the series seeks to cultivate a community, one that lingers after the lights come up and the credits roll, sparking conversation and reflection.
   Personal discovery also inspired the project.
   Ginnever began actively seeking out films by women and noticed a shift in the portrayal of female characters.
   “It changed how I watched films,” she said.
   Scobie points to her background in experimental programming, where pairing features with shorts shapes audience engagement and encourages viewers to see familiar stories through new lenses.
   The Orinda Theatre, which opened in 1941, anchors the series with its long history as a cultural and community hub.
   The theater has survived multiple challenges over the decades, from the rise of multiplexes to financial uncertainty, and has been continuously nurtured by the local community.
   “There’s a strong history of community stewardship here,” Scobie said. “We see this series as part of that legacy.”
   The historic venue, with its intimate auditorium and vintage marquee, adds a layer of cinematic charm that modern venues rarely replicate.
   “Certain Women” continues monthly, inviting audiences to explore connections between form, perspective and representation in cinema. The series, which debuted March 26 with “Nomad” and runs through Oct. 22, continues this month with a May 28 screening of “Kajillionaire” at 7:30 p.m.
   Miranda July’s 2020 film is an American crime comedy-drama starring Evan Rachel Wood and Debra Winger as members of a petty criminal family that owes $1,500 of back rent on their L.A. apartment. As complications ensue, the family relations begin to fray, and old wounds come to the surface.
   “We want people to notice the links between works,” Scobie said, “and to encounter stories that push beyond traditional narratives.”
   In doing so, the series offers more than entertainment – it provides a space to engage with cinema as a living, evolving conversation about identity, creativity and perspective.
   Tickets cost $13, with discounts available for seniors and children. For those seeking to experience film through the eyes of women directors and to reconnect with the theater as a communal space, “Certain Women” offers both discovery and delight. Located at 2 Orinda Square, visit orindamovies.com for show details.