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How to Fest

Berlin & Beyond in Focus is a completely virtual film festival experience. We have put together this guide to help you navigate the virtual festival as well as address questions you might have about tickets and streaming.

VIEWABLE REGIONS

All films are now accessible to residents with zip codes in these six Bay Area counties: San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara. Select films and programs are available to the state of California and the US. Click here for up-to-date details on viewable regions.

All on-demand films will be available to stream during our entire festival (12:00 A.M. on November 19th, 2020 through 11:59 PM on November 21st, 2020), except for I Was, I Am, I Will Be (Nov. 20-21 only).

FREE TICKETS WITH REGISTRATION

  • All film screenings at Berlin & Beyond in Focus are free but requires advance registration for a generated ticket.
  • Select the film and review the ticket options as well as any information regarding availability.
  • After your transaction has been completed, you will receive an email confirmation instantly details specific to the event.
  • Please note that you may receive details regarding any program changes via email.

Q&A’S

  • Berlin & Beyond in Focus will include both live and pre-recorded Q&A’s with filmmakers and special guests. Live Q&As are mostly part of live and timed virtual screenings.
  • A select number of live Q&A’s will also be mirrored on Facebook Live on the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival’s Facebook account.
  • Pre-recorded Q&A’s are usually part of select on-demand films.

HOW TO WATCH FILMS

Test Your Browser

Click here to test the compatibility of your browser to view our videos.

System Requirements for Viewing

Supported Operating Systems

  • Windows 7+
  • Intel-based Macs with OSX 10.12+
  • iOS 12+
  • Android 9+

Supported Browsers

  • Chrome 77+
  • Edge 84+
  • Firefox 71+
  • Safari 12.1+
  • Chrome for Android 78+
  • Firefox for Android 78+
  • iOS Safari 12+

Before the Event

  • When you register for an online screening, you will receive an email with the viewing link to watch your selected content.
  • Important: Make sure you have autoplay videos enabled for this site. If you don’t, functionality of the screening may be impaired. Most people do not have this turned off and can ignore this step. If you have turned off autoplay videos, or notice that when a new video loads, it does not automatically play, please enable autoplay for this site. Here are instructions for Safari, Firefox, and Edge.

Before You Watch

Once redeemed, access to films are available for use on one device and in one browser.

Before you click to start a film, please check the following:

  • You’re using the device and browser you would like to watch the entire event on.
  • If you plan to cast the event to your TV, make sure you are on the same WiFi network as your TV for best results.

Enjoying your Film

  • For scheduled online showtimes:
    • You do not need to click anything throughout the viewing experience. Each part will play automatically, including any pre-show, film, and Q&A content (unless noted).
    • If you have any trouble with playback, you can always refresh the page without losing access.
  • For rentals, once films are started, they will only be available for 24 hours.

WATCHING FILMS ON YOUR TV

There are two methods for watching content on your television: Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay.

Chromecast  

If you have an external Google Chromecast set up with your TV or a TV with built-in Google Chromecast (TVs listed here), open the film or live Q&A on Chrome and follow these steps to cast the webpage’s video experience to your TV.

You can Chromecast from a Chrome web browser on PC and Mac computers as well as Android devices by selecting the cast button in the bottom right-hand side of the player.

Apple AirPlay 

If you have an external Apple TV or a TV with built-in Apple Airplay (TVs listed here), open film or live Q&A in Safari and follow these Play a web video on your HDTV steps.

You can AirPlay from most browsers if you have Apple TV by selecting the AirPlay button in the bottom right-hand side of the player.

Why do I see a black screen if I am watching content with AirPlay on my TV?

You likely have “Screen Mirroring” turned on in your device settings. Please turn off the screen mirroring setting and start AirPlay by selecting the AirPlay button in the bottom right-hand side of the player.

WATCHING FILMS ON YOUR PHONE or TABLET

iPhone/iPad

You can watch content using Safari on iOS 12 or later. Please note that you must have “Screen Mirroring” turned off for content to play.

Android Device

You can watch content using Chrome on Android 9.0 or later.