HOW TO ATTEND

You can attend AFI DOCS via a pass or individual program purchase. Starting on June 10, you will have the opportunity to “unlock” films in the Features and Shorts programs to view during the AFI DOCS Film Festival, June 17-21.

Q&As follow applicable films and are noted whether they are live or recorded.

Screening Pass – $50  SOLD OUT
Your pass allows you to unlock a film one time and is automatically linked to your account on Eventive. Use your Screening Pass to watch films in the following sections: Feature Films, Short Films, Cinema’s Legacy or Episodic. After you unlock a program, please note the amount of time you have to push play on that particular film. Once you push play, you will have 24 hours to complete the screening.

Please note: The Screening Pass does NOT allow access to Special Screenings or the AFI DOCS Forum. Films are available for a limited time and with limited capacity. No refunds or exchanges. Passes are non-transferable. Event is not rated for content and viewer discretion is advised.

Forum Pass – $50 – Access to Forum Events
Your pass allows you to unlock each Forum session and is automatically linked to your account on Eventive.

Please note: The Forum Pass does NOT allow access to Screenings. No refunds or exchanges. Passes are non-transferable. Event are not rated for content and viewer discretion is advised.

Buy an Unlock (aka Ticket): Individual Program Unlocks will be available for $8.
All films are available to viewers in the United States. Film views are limited, and films can “sell out,” which will be indicated by “Sold Out.“

Please note: No refunds or exchanges. Unlocks are non-transferable. Event are not rated and viewer discretion is advised.

AFI DOCS Program
The availability of films varies by section:

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS – One-time-only screenings each day of the festival. Available by invitation only. Limited Tickets “Unlocks” will be made available.
FEATURE FILMS – Films available for 24-hour viewing June 18-21 with a new slate of films each day of the festival.
SHORT FILMS – Curated into four programs, short films are available for viewing June 18-21.
CINEMA’S LEGACY – Available for viewing June 18-21.
EPISODIC – Multi-part documentaries available for viewing over one to four days, June 18-21.
GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM – Friday, June 19, 6 p.m. EST
AFI DOCS FORUM – June 17-21.

FAQ

When are films and events available?
The availability of films varies by section:

How long do I have to start watching the movie?
When you unlock the movie, you will see an indication of how long you have to start watching below the “watch now” button on the film page. After you’ve started watching the movie, the indication will change to show you how much time is left to finish.

How does my pass work?
The Screening Pass allows you to unlock a film one time and is automatically linked to your account on Eventive. Use your Screening Pass to watch films in the following sections: Feature Films, Short Films, Cinema’s Legacy or Episodic. After you unlock a program, please note the amount of time you have to push play on that particular film. Once you push play you will have 24 hours to complete the screening.

Please note: The Screening Pass does NOT allow access to Special Screenings or the AFI DOCS Forum. Films are available for a limited time and with limited capacity.

The Forum Pass allows you to unlock each Forum session and is automatically linked to your account on Eventive. The Forum Pass does NOT allow access to Screenings.

All films are available to viewers in the United States. Film views are limited, and films can “sell out,” which will be indicated by “Sold Out “.

Passes are non-transferable. No refunds or exchanges. Event is not rated and viewer discretion is advised.

How do I purchase an individual ticket to a program?
If you would like to purchase an $8 ticket “unlock” to an individual program, head to the virtual festival by visiting DOCS.AFI.com. Here you can browse through all of the available programs. Purchase your ticket by selecting Unlock and then enter your email address to login or create an account on Eventive. You will then be prompted to enter your credit card information to complete the purchase.

What happens once I purchase my pass or individual ticket?
For a pass, you will receive a confirmation email regarding your pass. Once the AFI DOCS program schedule is live, you can pre-order or unlock your selections. For the Screening Pass you will be able to pre-order or unlock films in the following sections: Feature Films, Short Films, Cinema’s Legacy or Episodic.

For a Forum pass you will be able to pre-order or unlock access to the live-streaming sessions.

If you purchased a ticket “unlock” and the film is currently available, the player will automatically unlock and allow you to view the content. For pre-ordered tickets “unlocks” you will receive a confirmation email with info on how to access the screening when it becomes available to watch. If you misplace this email don’t worry – if you are logged in, the content will unlock for you when it is available.

The login will be the email and password used to purchase the ticket “Unlock” or Pass.

How do I find afilm I unlocked or pre-ordered? 
Check your inbox for the order confirmation email and click the “watch now” button.

Or visit DOCS.AFI.com and click on the original listing for the movie. You will be taken to the Eventive page for the screening. If you’re logged into your Eventive account and already ordered a ticket for that film, you will have the option to “watch now” from the virtual screening page.

My Screening Pass doesn’t include Special Presentations. Can you purchase individual access to those films?
Yes, individual tickets will be made available to Special Presentations. Please note that special presentations will have limited capacity.

How do I watch the film BOYS STATE?
You can purchase an individual ticket to Boys State via DOCS.AFI.com. The screening of BOYS STATE will be occurring promptly at 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, June 17.
Access to the screening will be sent via a direct watch link from no-reply@tv.apple.com

I clicked on a film and it says it i’s Sold Out? What does that mean?
We will have a limited number of views available for each screening. Once we have hit the viewing allotment a film will be marked as “Sold Out.”

How do I watch a livestream or live Q&A?
If you’ve ordered a program that includes an on demand title plus a livestream, simply select the livestream from the right sidebar and then click “enter livestream” at the designated time. There is a countdown clock on the livestream window to let you know when it will start.

Can I watch a livestream or Live Q&A after it is over? Yes, livestreams are recorded and made available to ticket holders for the duration of the program availability window.

How long do I have to watch a film once I hit play?
You will have 24 hours to view the film once you hit play.

Can I rewind or start a program over?
Yes, you have complete access to the entire program during your watch window.

Once you click “Play a film program,” you have 24 hours to watch it. This is to prevent users from sharing login information. If you would like to invite a friend or family member to watch a program, please encourage them to purchase a pass  or buy a one-time screening ticket for $8. After you’ve started watching a program, you will see an indication of how much time is left to finish the screening

Why is a film no longer available?
Films are available for a limited time and can only be viewed within the availability window. Please check the Schedule for availability on DOCS.AFI.com If the viewer does not hit play within that window or conclude watching the film within the allotted time, it will become unavailable to the viewer.

Where can I find the films I have Unlocked?
My Content Library

Can I watch films outside of the United States?
All screenings are restricted for viewing by those only in the United States.

I bought the movie and now it is telling me to unlock it again. What do I do? 
Please confirm that you are logged in with the same email address or Facebook login you used to purchase the program. You can log in using the login link at the upper right corner of the screen, or if you are not logged in at all you’ll be prompted to login after clicking “unlock now.”

How do I exit a trailer or video if I no longer want it open on my screen?
To close a video click anywhere outside of the viewing window.

I have not received a confirmation email from Eventive for my pass purchase. How do I access the festival?
Eventive automatically emails your pass confirmation to your email with the subject  “Pass order confirmation – AFI DOCS.”

If you did not receive it, please check your email spam folder. If the email is not in your spam folder, then try logging in with your email address to access AFI DOCS at  watch.eventive.org/AFIDOCS.  If you still are having trouble, contact us.

I don’t remember my password. What should I do?
If you don’t remember your password, you can reset it here.

I have a discount code how do I redeem it?
Find the film you would like to watch on DOCS.AFI.com

Click Unlock Now

It will say Unlock ”Film Title” $8. Below that it will say “Have a Discount Code.” Click that and input your discount code. This cost will change to $0.00 or $6.00 depending on the code. Proceed to sign in to Eventive or create an account, if you do not already have one. Now you can enjoy the film.

Do the films have closed captioning?
Closed Captions are available on browsers only for:

Features
DOWN AND OUT IN AMERICA
SING ME A SONG
THE LETTER
WHITE NOISE

Shorts
808: HOW WE RESPOND
ALL THAT PERISHES AT THE EDGE OF LAND
BROKEN ORCHESTRA
DAFA METTI (DIFFICULT)
DO NOT SPLIT
FLOWER PUNK
LAKE
MOTHER
STILL HERE (還在)
THE CHURCH FORESTS OF ETHIOPIA
THE LOST ASTRONAUT

We recommend that all Apple users use Safari.

Closed Captions are not currently available on Apple TV or Roku.

How do I vote for the Audience Award?
Films that are eligible for the Audience Award will be notated on the virtual screening page below the player. Once you have completed viewing your film, you will be able to cast your vote. On the virtual screening page below the player you will see ratings scaled from 1 to 5, poor to excellent. Click your choice and your vote has been cast. You can go back and alter your vote, but only one vote per account will be tabulated.

When will the award winners be announced?
Audience Award winners will be announced the week of June 22.

Can I watch live events from the Apple TV or Roku app?
Live events will not be available to watch from the Apple TV or Roku app. In order to participate in the Q&A during a live event, you will need to watch from a computer to use the chat feature within the player. You can also watch live events from a tablet or smartphone, however, these devices will have limited functionality in the chat.

Can I watch programs through Amazon FireStick?
No. At this time, streaming the festival using Amazon products (FireStick, FireCube, Kindle, etc.) is not available. The Roku Beta channel is available.

Does my web browser affect streaming?
We have had success streaming with Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Opera. We recommend using the latest version of your browser. Internet Explorer is not supported. If you are trying to access a film program and receive an error message, clear your browser history, then close and restart your browser. You can find more information in our IT Support section.

Why does the image quality of the films change sometimes?
The quality of the image depends on a few factors, including your internet speed. The player will auto-adjust to your internet speed. Your internet speed may change periodically based on how many other users are on your home network, the time of day, etc. You can find more information in our IT Support section.

I clicked on a film program ,but it will not play. Why?
Please confirm that you are not on a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Eventive’s content protection protocol does not allow VPN access.

Also check that you are you logged in with the correct account. Please check your login status at the upper right of the Eventive window. If you are logged in, you will see a circle with the initials of the account holder. To switch accounts, click on the circle and select “sign out,”, then login (using email address or Facebook login) to the preferred account.

If you are not logged in, you’ll see the word “login” at the upper right of the window. Click “login” and enter the desired account credentials.

You may also login directly from the order pop-up if you click “unlock movie” while logged out.

If all you see in the player window is a black screen, please click or tap on the window to activate the player controls.

How do I adjust the volume on the web player?
Hover the cursor over the video you are currently watching to make the video controls visible.On the bottom left, the sound icon controls the volume.To control how high or low the volume is, hover the cursor over the volume bar and click the left side to lower the volume or the right side to raise the volume.

Is my information secure? 
Yes. All customer payment info is submitted securely to our payment processor, Stripe, using the most stringent, PCI Level 1 compliant security protocols.  We do not store any sensitive customer credit card details. While hosted at Stripe, all card numbers are encrypted at rest with AES-256. Stripe’s infrastructure for storing, decrypting and transmitting card numbers runs in separate hosting infrastructure and doesn’t share any credentials with Stripe’s primary services (API, website, etc.). You may request that your payment information be unlinked from your account by choosing the “account settings” link at the upper right while logged in and viewing a specific organization or film page.

FORUM FAQ

Where can I find out what Forum sessions are available during the festival?
You can find the list of Forum events in the festival schedule here

How do I attend the Forum?
In order to attend the Forum, you must have a Forum pass. Note that the Forum pass is not the same as the Screening Pass. The Forum Pass grants you access to Forum sessions only. The Screening Pass grants you access to Screenings only (restricted to Feature Films, Short Films, Cinema’s Legacy and Episodic) but not the Forum. To purchase a Forum Pass, please go to https://docs.afi.com/passes/ You may also purchase tickets for individual sessions. To purchase tickets, go here https://docs.afi.com/2020/forum-2020/.

What happens when I purchase a forum pass or a ticket to a forum?
You will receive a confirmation email regarding your pass. Once the schedule is live, you can pre-order or unlock the forum sessions you would like to attend.

If you purchased a ticket “unlock” to a forum session that is currently available the player will automatically unlock and allow you to view the livestream. For pre-ordered tickets “unlocks” you will receive a confirmation email with info on how to access the livestream when it becomes available. If you misplace this email – don’t worry – if you are logged in, the content will unlock for you when it is available.

How do I attend the AFI DOCS Industry Micro Meetings?
In order to attend the AFI DOCS Industry Micro Meetings, you will need to be have a Forum Pass. Forum Passholders will have the opportunity to request 15-minute meetings, up to four meetings total, with a national portfolio of industry personnel, funders and public media representatives. Meetings will take place in two sessions. You can find a list of industry participants and which session they are scheduled for [here]. When requesting your meetings, you must request either Session 1 or 2 – you cannot participate in meetings in both sessions. MICRO MEETINGS, SESSION 1 – Wednesday, June 17 from 3:00–4:15 p.m. EST; MICRO MEETINGS, SESSION 2 – Thursday, June 18 from 4:00–5:15 p.m. EST. Sessions will take place on Zoom. A more detailed email explaining how Forum passholders can request Industry Meetings will be sent to all Forum pPassholders.

How do I request a complimentary Forum Pass?
A limited number of “comp” Forum Passes are available for industry representatives. If you are an industry representative, you may request a forum pass by emailing  DOCSForum@AFI.com with your name, job title and affiliation. Requests from industry representatives will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If you are confirmed for a comp industry pass, you will be receive a confirmation email.

If a Forum session or livestream is already in progress, can I still attend?
Yes. You may join the session or livestream as long as it is underway.

If I’m not able to watch a forum or livestream live, will the recordings be available later?
Yes, the recordings for the Forum sessions will be available for the duration of the Festival here: https://watch.eventive.org/afidocs

How can I ask a question during a live Forum session?
If the session includes an audience Q&A, there will be instructions about using the chat function on the Eventive window during the panel.

More questions? Be sure to check out Eventive’s FAQ Guide.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
If you need direct assistance ,we will be available June 17-21 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. EST. If you need help after these hours, please email and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

DOCSinfo@AFI.com
301.495.6799

IT Support

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

What are the system requirements?
You can watch content on PCs running Windows 7+ and Intel-based Macs running macOS 10.12+. You can also watch films on Android tablets and phones using Chrome and on iPhones and iPads using Safari.

What are the requirements for Windows computers?
Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Opera. We recommend using the latest version of your browser. Internet Explorer is not supported.

What are the requirements for Mac computers?
macOS 10.12 or later
Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera. We recommend using the latest version of your browser.

Can I watch content on my iPhone/iPad?
Yes, you can watch content using Safari on iOS 11.2 or later.

Important note: Due to content protection restrictions, the Screen Mirroring feature cannot be used. Additionally, HDMI or other video dongles cannot be connected to your device. Instead, use AirPlay or Eventive’s dedicated TV app to watch on your TV.

Can I watch content on my Android device?
Yes, you can watch content using Chrome on Android 6.0 or later.

Video Quality Issues

Why does video playback stall or not play smoothly?
We use adaptive bitrate streaming which means the streaming quality will automatically adjust based on your internet speed. If your internet connection is poor or inconsistent you may experience problems during playback. If you’re on wifi, try moving closer to your router.

For a proper viewing experience, ensure you have a strong, stable internet connection. You can check your internet speed easily by going to speedtest.net

At 7mbps or higher, you will be running at a playback of 1080p or higher and your quality will be optimal .

At 4mbps or lower, you will be running at a playback of 720p or lower, which will provide you a poor viewing quality.

Ways to Watch

On Your Computer

Can I watch the films on my TV?
Yes, here are the available options for viewing on your TV:

Via HDMI Cable
One way to watch on your TV is by directly connecting your computer (or other devices) to your TV via HDMI cable. Here are guides on how to connect an HDMI cable to your computer

Via Casting to a device
CHROMECAST
Stream directly from a tab in the Chrome internet browser to a TV connected to a Chromecast device from your Mac or PC computer. Note: At this time, Chromecast is not available to cast from Apple iOS devices, like the iPhone and iPad. Once your Chromecast is set up you can stream directly from your computer.

On the video page, open the Chrome menu in the upper right corner of the window (or the View menu) and select Cast. Make sure the tab you want to be displayed is the one you are selecting to cast.
Select your Chromecast source (consider selecting Chrome tab) and your Chromecast destination. Chromecast will then be connected and video will be playing on your TV.
To disconnect from Chromecast, click the blue Stop icon next to your casting destination.
If there are any issues with the Chromecast stream, try setting the video to a lower quality.

Still having trouble? Here’s a guide on how to use Chromecast from your computer.

How do I use the Apple TV app?
Please download the “Eventive TV” app from the Apple TV App Store (accessible via your TV). When you open the app the first time, you’ll see an activation code. On another device, please navigate to watch.eventive.org/tv, then login if necessary and use the code to connect your account. Now, select the AFI DOCS channel on the Eventive Apple TV app to begin watching.

Please note that you will not be able to purchase films from the app. You will need to select your programs via your computer first. Once you have unlocked your selected film(s), the content will be available on the app.

If you ever need to re-activate the TV app, you can select TV app setup by hovering over the login ID circle at the upper right of the device screen.

Please note: livestreams are currently not available via the TV app. You can AirPlay them from another device to your TV.

How do I use the Eventiveapp on Roku?
The Eventive app on Roku is currently in BETA. This means that changes are possible, and it is not yet available in the public channel store. If you would like to try out our Roku app, please install it by clicking the following link and logging in with your Roku account: my.roku.com/add/6MHHHM2

Once you have installed the app, open it and follow the instructions to login. All of your unlocked content will be available on the app. If a program has not already been unlocked, you’ll have to unlock it on another device such as a laptop or mobile device first.

Please note: livestreams are currently not available via the TV app. You can cast them from another device to your TV.

I’m seeing a black screen where the movie should be, but audio plays normally.
If you are using an external display, try disconnecting the display. Your display may not support the encryption necessary to securely stream your content. If you cannot detach the external display and are using Safari on a Mac, try switching to Google Chrome. If you are on a mobile device, try letting the film play for 15 seconds. If none of these steps help, please contact us using the live chat at the bottom of the page.

My movie won’t play! (General troubleshooting steps)
Please confirm that you are not on a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Eventive’s content protection protocol does not allow VPN access.

Are you logged in with the correct account? Please check your login status at the upper right of the Eventive window. If you are logged in you will see a circle with the initials of the account holder. To switch accounts, click on the circle and select “sign out”, then login (using email address or Facebook login) to the preferred account.