Half-birthdays are generally ho-hum occasions, but when it comes to the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center, exceeding expectations are fast becoming the norm.

Tonight, March 15, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival begins. Now in its 13th year, the festival has become an annual cultural rite of spring. The snows have melted, Daylight Saving Time begun, and now into the mix add a bit of enlightenment in the form of films and conversations at the Chilmark Community Center. The festival runs through Sunday, March 17.

This year there are 14 movies, 12 of which are documentaries, covering a variety of subjects but are held together by the common purpose of the festival screening committee

Next weekend, moviegoers will gather at the Chilmark Community Center for the 13th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival. They will sit on bales of straw in the Hay Café and eat chef Chris Fischer’s home-cooked meals. But mostly, they will seat themselves in the cozy main room of the Chilmark Community Center, ready to get lost in the onscreen worlds of the 14 films in this year’s lineup.

On Saturday, March 9, the partnership of the Vineyard Conservation Society and the MV Film Society will host its next Green on Screen event, a series of films that explore and bring attention to environmental issues. This time; everything you ever wanted to know about biophilic design but were afraid to ask.

On Wednesday, March 13, it is time to get salty. Beginning at 5 p.m. the Chilmark library is screening the documentary Salt of the Sea, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker Tom Garber.

The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival has announced its lineup of films for this year’s festival beginning Friday, March 15, and running through Sunday, March 17.