Streaming FAQ
Frequently asked questions about SIFF's streaming film festival offerings.
On this page: The Basics | Buying Your Ticket | Accessing Films | Different Devices
Frequently asked questions about SIFF's streaming film festival offerings.
On this page: The Basics | Buying Your Ticket | Accessing Films | Different Devices
Most films streaming through SIFF are available only to viewers within the US. If there are any additional restrictions from film distributors, those will be clearly marked in the film descriptions.
Please note: Even if your billing address or mailing address is in the US., your location is determined by your device’s IP address. If your IP address is not in the US., you won’t be able to access your film.
If you have a VPN (virtual private network) set up, we recommend that you disable it, as it may prevent you from accessing the films.
For some films, yes. If a distributor has limited the number of tickets available, a film can still sell out. If there are films you really want to see, it would be best to purchase a ticket as soon as possible when the film opens, or to prioritize watching with your pass. Most films will be available without restrictions.
For ticket holders, once you start a film, you can view it up to 48 hours from the time you begin watching, as long as it is before the expiration time for that film.
Passholders will be able to view their films at any time on demand, until the film expires.
For all festivals, including the Seattle International Film Festival, DocFest, and Cinema Italian Style, virtual films will only be available during the dates of the festival. All access will end at midnight on the final day of the festival.
Yes, with the exception of the previews. You can use the controls in the watch portal to rewind or start a program over.
For customer support, please email us at boxoffice@siff.net. This email account is monitored Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 5:00pm PT. We will respond as soon as possible.
Tickets for individual films are available on each film detail page.
If your virtual event is open for viewing, you’ll be provided a link immediately after purchase, on the order confirmation screen.
If the virtual event opens at a later date and time, you’ll receive a virtual access email when the film is available to watch to the same email you used for purchase. Follow the link to submit your unique voucher code once the film has opened.
If the virtual event is a live event taking place at a specific date and time, you’ll receive a virtual access email (to the same email you used for purchase) one hour before the virtual event begins. Follow the link to submit your unique voucher code at the event start time.
Passholders can log in at watch.siff.net using the email and password used to purchase the pass. Once logged in, passholders will see all films currently available for their pass type. Passholder access does not require a voucher code.
You can find your ticket information in the virtual access email you received, or by logging in to your account at goelevent.com.
Your streaming quality automatically adjusts based on your internet speed. If your internet connection is poor or inconsistent, you may experience problems during playback. If you’re using wifi, try moving closer to your router.
You should be able to watch on any PC running Windows 7+ or on any Mac running OS 10.12+ through watch.siff.net.
You can Chromecast from a Firefox (recommended) or 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 at watch.siff.net.
You can AirPlay from most browsers on your Apple device, if you have Apple TV, by selecting the cast button in the bottom right-hand side of the player at watch.siff.net.