Viewing Films FAQs

What is streaming?

Streaming is the technology that allows you to watch a film on your computer, tablet, phone, or television.  It is similar to watching content on Netflix, Hulu, or HBO.  This allows you to watch a film at any time during the period when it is shown.

How do I watch films when I have a Festival Pass?

When you purchase a Festival Pass, a Festival Family Pass, or redeem a pass earned through a donation, you will receive an e-mail containing a link to your portal.  Save that e-mail, as you will be able to use that link to take you to your portal to watch a film. Please note, that you will need to login to the site to access your personal portal.

How do I watch a film with a single ticket?

When you purchase a single ticket to watch a film, you will receive an e-mail from Elevent which will include instructions for viewing the film.

As an alternative, once the Festival starts, you can click the “Watch Films” button at the top of every page on the website, then put in the voucher code from you confirmation e-mail into the Left side box under Ticket Holders.

Can I stop watching a film and come back to it later?

Yes.  Just login to your festival account and go back to the page for that movie.  It will keep track of which films you have purchased, and where you were when you stopped.  You will have up to 48 hours to finish watching a film from when you started watching.

When can I begin streaming films?

Due to requirements from filmmakers and producers, each film is only available for viewing during a specific period of time.

  • The schedule of film availability is provided on the Festival Calendar,
  • Films are available from 12:00 am on the start date to 11:59 pm on the end date,
  • You must finish watching a film within 48 hours after you first pressed the Play button to watch the film.
Can I view films from anywhere/What is geo-blocking?

Due to requirements from filmmakers and distributors, the viewing of some SJFF films will be restricted to certain geographic areas.  Restrictions vary by film and are shown on the detail page for each film. Here is some more information about these restrictions:

  • If nothing is listed, this film has no geographic restrictions,
  • Films listed as restricted to California are viewable anywhere in the state,
  • Films listed as restricted to the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region are available in the following California counties:
    • Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado ,Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba
    • For a map of The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region click HERE

We are proud to be part of a large film festival community and to adhere to restrictions that help assure that other virtual film festivals across the country and abroad can also show films, without having their attendance compromised.

Can I share my login credentials or code with other people?

No. Sharing a link or code would be a violation of our licensing agreements with filmmakers and could jeopardize our ability to show films in the future. Therefore, each ticketholder or passholder may  watch a film only once.

Can I rewind a film and watch portions again?

Yes. There are buttons on either side of the Play button to allow you to move the film forward and backward by 10 seconds at a time.  You can press the button as many times as you like. You can also pause a film by pressing the pause button (the play button turns into a pause button after you press play.

What requirements must my computer, tablet, or phone have to watch films?

You can watch content on PCs running Windows 7+, and Intel-based Macs running OSX 10.12+. You can also watch films on Android tablets and phones using Chrome, and on iPhones and iPads using Safari.

Do I need to download an application to watch on my computer, tablet, or phone?

No And Yes.

No. You don’t need to download an application to watch on your computer, tablet, or phone. 

Yes. You will need to download an application if you want to watch on a Smart TV or a Streaming Device attached to your television, ( an Amazon FireStick, a ROKU device, or an Apple-TV device ).  Please see How to Watch on TV under the FAQs tab.

Can anyone watch the live events?

This information will be updated soon.

Are live events free?

Some are and some aren’t.

The Zoom Havdallah is free, but you need to register in advance. Registration is not yet open.

Film Chats are free.

The live films in Davis and Sacramento require tickets, which can be purchased here.