Published February 16th, 2011
Orinda International Film Showcase: First Great Hit and More to Come
By Sophie Braccini
The success of the first offering of the Orinda International Film Showcase exceeded all expectations. So many people came to see the film Max Manus that an extra week was added. Now picking up on Efi Lubliner and Jo Alice Canterbury's success, a San Francisco theater has picked up the film.
The second movie proposed by the Orinda International Film Showcase at the end of the month could prove just as successful, and this time Orinda will be the first in the United States to present it to the public.
Many cheers and a few even cried at the Cannes Festival presentation of "Illegal" last spring. The movie tells the story of an illegal Russian immigrant who had been living in Belgium with her son for 8 years, who finds herself incarcerated in a detention center for illegal immigrants and faces expulsion. Director Olivier Masset-Depasse present a realistic and blunt work of fiction, based on personal research into the illegal immigrant retention centers in Belgium. Actress Anne Coesens, who plays Tania, carries a lot of emotion, while playing the visceral determination of her character. The movie will play at the Orinda Theater from Friday, February 25 to Thursday, March 3. Go to lfef.org for more information.
But that is not all for Orinda. The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival, which will run from March 5 to the 13 and feature 50 independent and international movies, has scheduled some of its showings in Orinda. The Matchmaker and Naomi (Hitparzut X) will play on March 12, and on March 13 moviegoers can choose from nine different movies. For more information go to www.eastbayjewishfilm.org.

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