CARLSBAD — The La Costa Film Festival kicked off Thursday and rolls into the weekend with a packed slate.
Three locations — the Omni La Costa Resort, Cinépolis and the Ruby G. Schulmann Auditorium — will host nearly two dozen screenings, panels and competitions.
Today starts with a pair of films at 11 a.m. Cinépolis followed by the shorts program at the auditorium at the Dove Library.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, a 3 p.m. 3D showing of “Top Gun” will take place at Cinépolis. At 3:30 p.m., the high school and college shorts competition begins in the auditorum. The audience will determine the winner.
At 7 p.m., veteran actor Chris Noth, he of “Sex and the City” and “Law & Order” fame, will be honored with the festival’s first-ever Shining Star Award at Omni La Costa. Following the discussion with Noth, a screening of “The Longest Journey” will be shown followed by an after party.
Saturday begins with the shorts competition at 11 a.m. at the auditorium followed by a screening of “Manchild: The Schea Cotton Story” at 11:30 a.m. at Cinépolis.
The Reel Pitch competition commences at 1:30 p.m. at the auditorium. Judges will determine which submission will take the journey into possibly being put into production.
The day concludes with showings of “Clair in Motion” at 7 p.m. at the resort and an 8:30 p.m. double-screenings of “The Right Person for the Job” and “Paris, Love, Cut.”
On Sunday, the festival concludes with a pair of double showings and the final film of the festival, “Birds of Passage,” at 6:30 p.m. at Cinépolis.
For tickets and a complete schedule, visit lacostfilmfestival.org.