The first rule of Philly Cinefest, the annual movie mixer from the folks at the Philadelphia Cinema Alliance, has nothing to do with whether you talk about the regional weeklong film festival that begins this Thursday.

But you'd be wise to follow some basic advice on the weeklong event's website: many screenings sell out, so planning your schedule ahead of time is helpful - and necessary to avoid a Godfather 3-like letdown.

It local is what you're after, you should check out Cost of a Soul, directed by Sean Kirkpatrick and "a gritty story of two Iraq war veterans who return to hard times at home in North Philly. There's also The Legend of Sofa Kingdom, a documentary on the local Quizzo scene that centers on teams like Sofa Kingdom and local celbs like Johnny Goodtimes.

The opening night features two films and a big party. Exporting Raymond (6:30 p.m., Ritz East) chronicles a trip led by Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal to Moscow to create a Russian version of the hit sitcom. After that is the Catechism Cataclysm (9 p.m., Ritz East), an irreverant film straight from Sundance about Father Billy and a camping trip with his high school pal. The Independence Visitor Center will play host to an opening-night shindig with drinks and dancing under the stars from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. in the Liberty View Ballroom and Terrace.

The festival closes on Thursday, April 14 with its Jury and Audience awards presentation hosted by WXPN's Michaela Majoun and Robert Drake. The featured film of the evening will be the Academy Award nominated Morgan Spurlock's The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.