Festival FAQ’s
The annual Bend Film Festival consists of 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 operations@bendfilm.org.
In-person dates are October 7th-11th, 2026
IN-PERSON SCREENINGS FAQ
Passes are the easiest way to experience the festival, with perks including earlier ticket-selection windows. Pass prices range from $100 to $325, and more information is available here. All BendFilm Members receive 20% off Bend Film Festival passes.
Ticket Packs are $64 and are a great option for guests who want to see multiple films without purchasing a full pass. They provide a discounted bundle of 4 individual screening tickets. Ticket Pack holders still need to reserve a ticket for each screening they plan to attend.
Individual tickets are $17 in advance and at the door. Individual tickets will be available directly through the Eventive site once the film lineup goes live.
Eventive is our Bend Film Festival ticketing system. If you’ve attended a Bend Film Festival in the past you already have a login and account. If you are new to us, you will need to create an account. Once you’re logged in to your account you can view options for purchasing tickets and passes.
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. If you are still having trouble, please reach out to operations@bendfilm.org.
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 in with stand by tickets. 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.
Here’s how it works: You buy your pass. Yay! If you want guaranteed seats at our smallest venues and biggest events starting mid September, visit our website, login to Eventive, and reserve your General Admission tickets at no additional charge.
If you have a pass and don’t reserve a ticket, that’s okay! We recommend arriving 20-30 minutes before showtime to get in line for “Passholders without Tickets”. If there is space after all ticket holders, you’ll be granted admission. We typically hold 5-10% of capacity for passholders without tickets, standby ticket sales, and volunteers. The odds are good that there will be space for you in our larger venues.
We’re really drilling in this 30 minute seating window for passholders for a reason. Even if you have a pass, if you show up less than 30 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. 30 is the magic number to ensure you get priority seating. Below are our different lines at venues:
Passholders with tickets
Ticket Holders
Passholders without tickets
Standby ticket sales & Volunteer access
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, a pass isn’t the only way to experience the Bend Film Festival. Ticket Packs are $64 and include four individual screening tickets, making them a good option if you want to see several films without purchasing a full festival pass. Ticket Pack tickets are subject to screening availability.
We also make individual tickets available online for $17 each starting in mid-September. If you prefer to decide once the festival is underway, individual tickets are also $17 at the door for screenings with capacity remaining.
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!
No! We are going cashless this year! Unless you have exact change please use a credit card!
The Bend Film Staff 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 were always the case! Give yourself plenty of extra time to park, especially for screenings in downtown Bend. Better yet, ride a bike, walk, carpool, or get dropped off when possible.
For screenings at Tower Theatre, Oxford Hotel Bend, and Tin Pan Theater, we recommend the Centennial Parking Garage at 750 NW Lava Road. It is centrally located downtown and offers all-day parking for $1 per hour, with a $10 daily rate for stays longer than six hours. Downtown street parking is free, but spaces have varying time limits and fill quickly during busy periods.
For screenings at McMenamins, limited onsite parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Centennial Parking Garage is about 2.5 blocks away, and additional paid parking is available at the Troy Field lot across Louisiana Avenue.
For screenings at Regal Old Mill, parking throughout the Old Mill District is free. The district has more than 1,400 parking spaces, but lots get busy, so give yourself extra time before your screening.
Our best advice: do not make parking the reason you miss the beginning of your film. Plan to arrive downtown early, park once, and walk between venues whenever your schedule allows.