Festival FAQ’s
The annual Bend Film Festival is a combination of in-person and virtual film screenings, filmmaker discussions, mentor sessions, festival honorees, awards and more. We are jazzed to bring back our annual celebration of independent film and connect with all of you. We can all use more excuses to connect, explore, and escape through film. If any of these sections don’t cover your question, drop us a line at info@bendfilm.org.
In-person dates are October 12th-15th, virtual is October 16th-22nd
COVID FAQ
Currently, there are no guidelines in place for the Festival. We will follow all County and State guidelines accordingly. This is subject to change as necessary!
IN-PERSON SCREENINGS FAQ
Passes are the easiest way to experience the festival and it comes with perks like advanced selection windows, and a discount on next year’s Festival pass. Pass prices range from $100 – $300 and more info can be found here. All BendFilm Members get 20% off passes.
Individual tickets in-person screenings are $12 online and $10 for standby and streaming titles range from $5 – 10 depending on the screening. Individual tickets can be purchased directly from the Eventive site when films are live.
Eventive is our virtual festival platform and ticketing system rolled into one. If you attended a Bend Film Festival in the past you already have a login and account. If you are new to us please create an account. Once you’re logged in to your account you can view options for purchasing tickets for virtual streaming titles and drive-in screenings.
First, make sure you are logged into the Eventive site. If you see this: in the upper right-hand corner, you are not logged in. Next, check your membership level to make sure you are owed Festival tickets and how many.
Sitting in a dark room, turning off your phone and being entertained? Check, check and double check. But film festivals are different because they’re much more of an experience. At our fest, you get to see films that you otherwise couldn’t because of Hollywood’s stranglehold on theaters. You get exclusive access to discover new filmmaking, acting talent AND you may just meet and talk to the filmmaker. You can either buy a pass, buy an advanced ticket online or just show up at the venue early and hope to get with stand by. Read the rest of these FAQs for more information on those options. But rest assured, it’s as easy as seeing one of those ‘regular’ movies.
At BendFilm, we like to give everyone VIP treatment. Here’s how it works: You buy your pass. Yay! If you want guaranteed seats at our smallest venues and biggest events starting September 14th, log on to our ticketing site (here) and reserve your tickets (no additional charge).
If you have a pass and don’t reserve a ticket, just show up 20 minutes before the film. If there is space, you’ll get in after all ticket holders enter. Then we’ll do our seat count math and odds are you’ll be able to get in at these larger venues.
We’re really drilling in this 20 minute seating window for passholders for a reason. Even if you have a pass, if you show up less than 20 minutes before showtime, you get put in the back of the line. Meaning, if there are a lot of ticket holders, you might not get a seat in the theater. 20 is the magic number to ensure you get priority seating. Did we mention each venue sells alcohol? Well then…there’s your incentive to arrive early for proper hydration!
We’re not much into the shunning business, so there’s still a chance! Pass holders without reserved tickets will be allowed into the theater 5 minutes before the movie starts if seats remain after all people holding tickets get in. Tin Pan and McMenamins are BendFilm’s two smallest venues (hey, we made the reservations available for a reason!) so you’ll have to contend with the possibility that the venues will fill up quick!
Fear not, the pass isn’t the only way to experience BendFilm. We make a limited number of tickets available online for $12 each starting September 16th. But we understand commitment is hard. So if you don’t want to lock yourself in that far in advance, we start selling tickets for $10 each at the theater for all the seats that have yet to be filled. There’s a risk that a $10 seat might not be available, but as Steve Guttenberg always says, “No risk, no reward.”
Luckily, showing up late won’t ruin anything, but it will mean you get directed to the back of the line. It’s possible you’ll still get in to see the film, but you might be out of luck. Tickets are ONLY truly valid 10 minutes and more from the published film start time.
We are really sorry, but tickets are only eligible up to the ten-minutes-before mark. After that we won’t be able to give any refunds, so don’t do that to yourself, get there with time to spare!
It’s always good to have paper proof of your ticket in case a disastrous sunspot wipes out all smartphones before your film starts. However, if you’re willing to take that risk, we can scan your ticket on your smart phone.
You’ve been online, right? You know the deal. Accounts allow you to log in, view your tickets, your film schedule and get up-to-the minute news. If you’re passholder, you must have an account to reserve seats. If the thought of remembering another password gives you hives, you can always avoid the online ticket hassle and visit us at the HQ to purchase your tickets in person.
All is not lost! Get down to the venue early to be first in the “Standby Ticket” line. At the five-minute-to-showtime mark, if there are any empty seats, they’ll be made available to the lucky dogs in line and we’ll sell Standby Tickets until there aren’t any left. Usually, most people CAN get in this way, so don’t give up hope!
Cash is king down at BendFilm! We’ll take your money any way you want to give it to us and it’ll be a lot quicker at the venues.
Todd Looby might just personally parachute into your driveway to deliver it to you by hand. If that doesn’t happen (and, let’s face it, it probably won’t), you will receive instructions by email on when and where you can pick up the pass.
Wear it with pride! All the cool kids will be wearing their passes all weekend to show the rest of the world how awesome the festival is. It also gives you access to early seating at films, entrance to panels and parties, and tells the rest of the world that you are a person of incredible taste and intellect.
Sure! If there are seats available after everyone else is seated, go for it!
Hoowhee, we wish that was always the case! Make the festival easier and a lot more fun and stress free by leaving yourself lots of time to find parking (or ride a bike, take a shuttle or walk!) We highly recommend leaving your car in the City Parking Garage on Lava Street at Minnesota Avenue (map). Parking is free at the Old Mill District (for Regal Theatre screenings) and there is street parking close to Cascades Theatrical Company and Open Space Studios.
FOR THE VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
You can watch films, panels and Q&A’s using the web browser on your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone.
To watch on your TV, test this video to see if your TV device work for Festival Films.
You can “cast” or “airplay” if you have an Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Firestick or any similar device or smart TV, set your computer or mobile device to “airplay” or “cast” to the TV device. Unlock the program on Eventive Virtual Festival, then set your player window to full-screen using the icon at the lower right.
Additionally, if you have an Apple TV or Roku you can download the Eventive App app to watch films that you have already unlocked/purchased through your web browser. Please note at this time Q&As and other live streams are not available through the Eventive App and will require using your computer, tablet, or smartphone to view and participate.
From your TV, Download the “Eventive TV” app onto your Apple TV or Roku
Once installed it will give you a code to sync with your watch.eventive.org account
Purchase/Unlock movies using your web browser on your computer, tablet, or mobile devices.
The app can only playback films, not livestream events, chats, or recordings of live streams.
Movies should appear on your Eventive TV app under “My Content” – you many need to refresh the app or select “Browse Channels” and then reselect “My Content” for it to appear.
Availability varies by film depending on what the distributors and filmmakers allow. The window of availability for each film can be found on that individual film listing. Some are available for the entire festival and some are available for limited runs. Check the schedule grid (coming soon) to make it easy.
Yes, but the geographical availability varies by film. Check the specific listings to see what the geo-targeting boundaries are.*
Contact info@bendfilm.org. Technical customer service will be available each Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the Festival from 4:00pm – 10:00pm PST. Or check out Eventive’s NEED HELP page for technical information. You can chat directly with someone from their support team to troubleshoot any issues.
Yes. In 2020 our award “ceremony” was streamed but not without our traditional commitment to recognize filmmaker-focused efforts. We awarded more than $12,000 to our independent filmmakers including the $5000 Best Of Show. We anticipate our 2023 awards ceremony to be live, and in-person.