Friday, Dec. 13

If you still haven't seen 12 Years a Slave (or want to watch it again), go to the Aero at 7:30 p.m. In director Steve McQueen's adaption of Solomon Northup's 1853 autobiography, Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the free black man, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Writer-director John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, 2 Fast 2 Furious) will be on hand to moderate a post-screening discussion with McQueen.

Stereoscopic photography enthusiasts, this is the event for you. The 10th annual Los Angeles 3-D Movie Festival takes over the Downtown Independent this weekend to showcase photos, film and videos that demonstrate the technique of creating the illusion of depth through stereopsis. The opening feature at 9 p.m. is Flight of the Butterflies, and on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., NASA and JPL will present Our Restless Planet, followed by a Q&A with Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists. There also will be three blocks of 3-D shorts. Passes are $40 for the public. More info at la3dfest.com.

Saturday, Dec. 14

If you've got 24 hours to spare, come to Cinefamily's 2013 Fantastic Elastic 24-Hour Holiday Telethon starting at 1 p.m. It's a marathon of special events with guests, interviews, live music and comedy. There will be breakfast and beverages served on the back patio, with DJs and live bands playing throughout the day. Famous faces like Anjelica Huston, Bruce Dern and some surprise guests will be at the event in the hopes of helping the theater to raise $500,000 to cover its annual expenses and operating costs. The fundraiser kicks off with a Roger Ebert tribute with director Steve James (Hoop Dreams), who will discuss and show clips from his upcoming Ebert documentary, Life Itself. The event is free on a first-come, first-serve basis. But if you make a membership-sized donation in advance, they'll set aside a seat for you at a time of your choice. Caffeine recommended.

See also: More L.A. Weekly Film Coverage

Tuesday, Dec. 17

Skip the flight to London and catch the Royal Opera House Ballet's The Nutcracker at a theater near you at 7 p.m. In addition to watching young Clara and her Nutcracker-turned-Prince take on the Mouse King and travel through the Land of Sweets, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at the opera house and the ballet, with exclusive cast interviews. Find theaters and other info at fathomevents.com/event/the-nutcracker.

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