When an injury derailed his competitive surf aspirations, Jack Johnson launched a film and music career, even playing at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach.

Now, 25 years later, he’s back to where it all started, with a screening of his surf film, “The September Sessions,” in the Coast Film & Music Festival that gets underway today and a concert in front of an intimate crowd that sold out in eight hours.

“This is kind of a full-circle moment,” said Ben Warner, who co-founder the festival along with fellow Laguna Beach local Enich Harris seven years ago. “Jack is paying homage to where his career started. …We’re pretty excited, it’s really amplifying our mission around film and music and Jack represents everything that is the ethos of our festival – which is stewardship of the land and ocean.”

The nine-day film fest, which runs through Nov. 9, is offering residents and visitors a jam-packed lineup of events, gatherings, inspirational discussions and educational opportunities at several locations throughout the beach town.

The goal of the festival, which showcases 90 films and expects to draw upward 9,000 people, is to “bring together a community of creators, change makers and fans to celebrate adventure, the human spirit, conservation, and the art of story,” according to organizers.

Films showcasing action sports and adventure, documentaries and human-interest and sustainability stories fill the festival’s lineup, along with conversations with many of the filmmakers and athletes.

There are also workshops and live music performances throughout the festival, a Do Good Village with dozens of vendors, a one-day Coast Summit, yoga sessions and a trail stewardship day, among other activities planned.

Most events and showings will happen between the Festival of Arts, Rivian South Coast Theater, the Irvine Bowl and the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center, though there will also be a “Local’s Night” at the Hobie Surf Shop and a Thursday night “Films on Forest”  free to the public.

“The Eyes of Ghana” and “Then Comes the Body,” presented by the OC World Affairs Council, open the festival today.

“The Eyes of Ghana” was created by two-time Academy Award-winning director Ben Proudfoot and executive producers Barack and Michelle Obama. It follows 93-year-old documentarian Chris Hesse — personal cinematographer to forgotten African icon and former Ghana president Kwame Nkrumah — as he races against blindness and time to rescue and repatriate a secret trove of more than 1,000 films that captured the birth of African independence in the ’50s and ’60s.

“It’s such an incredible film, it has won many awards and it’s 100% on Rotten Tomatoes now,” said Warner. “It’s just coming out to the public and getting great reviews.”

One of the festival’s can’t-miss films is “Andre is an Idiot,” showing Sunday and Tuesday, a documentary that follows the journey of a group of friends who get tested for colon cancer, only to learn one of their friends was diagnosed.

“It’s powerful, it’s heavy. It’s very impactful and something people should see. It’s one of those ripple effects, hopefully with this film, people will get screened earlier and realize waiting until you’re 50 is too late in many instances,” Harris said. “This movie has the power to send that message to take care of ourselves and get checked earlier so we do not go down the same road.”

Also on Sunday, there will be two short films screened about the fires in Los Angeles, “Big Rock Burning” and “The Fire Poppy,” as well as a workshop on film scoring and songwriting by musician Matt Costa and No Doubt’s Tom Dumont.

The short film block on Monday night, which have an ocean focus, pulls about a dozen films together for a 90-minute program.

Tuesday night is “locals’ night” with a gathering at Hobie Surf Shop for a film about its team riders. The brand is celebrating its 75th anniversary, so there will be much about Hobie’s history in Laguna Beach and beyond, as well as a discussion about the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center’s upcoming move to Laguna Beach from San Clemente.

Wednesday’s highlights include “Yanuni,” a film produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, about the Brazilian rain forest and the indigenous cultures vying to protect it.

The Coast Summit on Thursday has grown since it debuted three years ago, a gathering of speakers throughout the day at the Rivian Theatre who discuss innovative ways to focus on sustainability. This year’s theme is “Healthy People, Healthy Planet.”

Then that night, “Films on Forest” brings bands and films to the street, a free night for the community to get together. Musician Jason Feddy kicks off the night and Party Foul, both local, upbeat bands, will also take to the stage, while a series of short films will be played, as well as the 40-minute film “Best Day Ever.”

The final weekend kicks off Friday night with mountain and snow films.

“Everyone is getting excited to get back to snowboarding and skiing,” Warner said. “It’s an homage to all the snow junkies out there.”

“Mountains of the Moon,” a Grateful Dead tribute with action sports athletes out in nature with lit-up suits, will have a director’s cut showing.

There will be surf films during the weekend, including Saturday’s showing of “Feels like Yesterday” involving the tight-knit San Clemente crew, including the Colapinto brothers, Griffin and Crosby, and fellow World Tour surfer Cole Houshmand.

That night will also feature the Follow the Light award ceremony to celebrate up-and-coming photographers in honor of Surfing Magazine photog Larry “Flame” Moore, who died in 2005.

Sunday’s surf films will include a documentary featuring Pipeline’s epic season last year, and “Milk & Honey,” an all-women’s surf film.

The final night on Nov. 9 will feature “The Dolphins” and “Love + War,” a story about a New York Times photographer who has traveled the world the past 20 years documenting wars.

One of the highlights for the festival creators is how the festival connects with the next generation of youngsters, they said. There are speakers who will go to all the local schools and a group of about 350 students from Laguna Beach and Compton will go to the Festival of Arts to do a Student Stewardship Day.

“We want to use our festival to really inspire the next generation of change makers and storytellers,” Harris said. “We’re going to spend that day with the kids and taking them to different workstations, storytelling art and nature.”

A big part of the festival is also encouraging people to get out to explore. There are groups getting together to take people hiking, mountain biking, to do yoga or take part in a run. A mountain bike race is a fundraiser for the local high school mountain bike team.

There are multi-day passes to screenings for $150 and single ticket costs vary, some special events have a cost as well. For more information, visit coastfilmfestival.com.