Frequently Asked Questions about the virtual portion of the 2026 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.
In February 2026 the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival will be a hybrid event, hosting in-person screenings February 13-22 and online screenings February 16-26.
Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help you enjoy the virtual portion of the festival with ease!
How do the I attend the BSDFF Virtual Cinema?
The virtual version of BSDFF is available online with the purchase of a virtual pass or individual tickets to a single film or shorts program. Enter the Virtual Cinema >>
How do I buy Passes and Tickets?
Passes and tickets are available for purchase on bigskyfilmfest.org in advance. Please see the “Buy Tickets and Passes” page for pass types, prices and descriptions.
Can I purchase just one individual ticket to a virtual screening?
Yes, if you would like to purchase a ticket to stream an individual program/film, tickets will be available to purchase end of January.
The Virutal Cinema Catalog, launching in late January, is where you can browse through all of the available online programs and buy tickets for online screenings. Purchase a ticket by selecting Unlock and then enter your email address to create an account. You will then be prompted to enter your credit card information to complete the purchase of your ticket.
Do I need an account to buy passes/tickets and watch films?
Yes, to purchase and or use tickets and/or passes, you will be required to create an account in Eventive. You will need to log in to this account to access your tickets, passes and virtual screenings, so hold on to this information! Your log-in is your email, and your password can be reset on the site if need be by clicking “Forgot Password?”.
Is my payment 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. Eventive stores customer credit card details securely, and the festival staff does not have access to your credit card information. You may request that your payment information be unlinked from your account by choosing Account Management from the menu bar at the top left of the page, and then “Remove” under your payment information.
Return and Refund Policy
Passes and tickets are non-transferrable and non-refundable. All sales are final.
How do I find a film I unlocked or pre-ordered in the BSDFF Virtual Cinema?
First, make sure you’re logged in to the virtual cinema. When you get to the BSDFF virtual cinema page, click the Login button on the top right, then enter your email and password.
There are multiple ways to find films you’ve unlocked or pre-ordered, once you have logged in:
When you purchase or reserve a ticket you will receive a confirmation email that includes information about when your selected program will be available for viewing and a link to open it up. Click the “Watch Now” from the original listing for the program.
Go to the tickets icon in the top right menu bar or use the top left menu bar and choose My Tickets. Click Watch Now next to your selected film.
Navigate to the film guide and choose the showing or browse film programs in the BSDFF virtual cinema. Choose Watch Now during the availability window. If you are not logged in, the button will read “Pre-order now” or “Unlock Now” and prompt you to log in.
Can I watch films on my television?
Yes! You can connect your computer to your TV or another external monitor via HDMI cable.
You can also watch films on your TV using the Eventive TV App on your Apple TV or Roku device, or use Chromecast to view from your Chrome browser on your Android phone or tablet. Films can be enjoyed on your computer, but we highly recommend you set up your home theater to enjoy films that were made for a cinema experience!
Due to content protection restrictions, the Screen Mirroring feature on Smart TVs and other devices cannot be used. Many browsers built into Smart TVs and other devices will NOT allow protected content to play.
What are the system requirements for watching on a laptop or desktop computer?
Content can be watched on PCs running Windows (Versions 7, 8.1, and 10) and Intel-based Macs running macOS 10.12+. You can also watch films on Android tablets and phones using Chrome on Android 6.0 or later, and on iPhones and iPads using Safari on iOS 11.2 or later.
If you have an Apple TV or Roku device, you can use Eventive TV apps for these platforms. If you have a Chromecast, you can cast to it from Chrome on your computer or Android phone or tablet. At this time, streaming the festival using Amazon products (FireStick, FireCube, Kindle, etc.) is not available. Please note: live events are unavailable to watch via the TV apps, and you must unlock films in your web browser before they will be available in the TV apps. Roku’s app does not allow for captions. For helpful tips about using Apple TV and Roku, click here.
Additionally, you can connect your computer to your TV or another external monitor via HDMI cable. Visit the Eventive FAQ for more information!
When can I watch & how long do I have to watch?
Features and Shorts Blocks will be available for a multiday window (schedule TBA) with availability expiring at 11:59pm MST on their final availability date. Availability dates for each film can be found on individual film listings once selections are announced in January. With some exceptions based on film availabiltiy, the feature film windows for the 2026 Festival dates will be announced soon.
PURCHASE WINDOW: You may begin pre-ordering films before the festival begins and prior to a film’s specific virtual premiere date. Pre-ordering is encouraged, as some films can be reserved a limited number of times. See “available” dates on the film page to determine when the film’s online festival premiere is (i.e. when you can begin watching).
AVAILABILITY WINDOW: Availability dates for each film can be found on individual film listings once the virtual schedule is announced in late January.
UNLOCK WINDOW : Once you unlock a film, you have 48 hours to begin watching.
WATCH WINDOW: Once you click play, you may pause, but you will have 24 hours to finish enjoying the content. 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.
All unlock and watch windows close at 11:59pm on the last day of the virtual festival, February 26.
Is there a way to create a watch list?
You can create a watch list using the My Content Library feature in the virtual festival. Add content to your library by unlocking the films that you would like to watch within the player.
Visit the virtual cinema and make sure you are signed in to your account in the upper right corner.
Go to the program you wish to add to your content library. By clicking Unlock and selecting Unlock with [Unnamed Pass/Your Name] for $0, the film will be added to your Content Library under the Currently Unlocked label.
To view your Content Library, click your initials in the upper right corner, and from the drop-down menu, select My Content Library.
Once you click Unlock, you will be able to watch the film anytime within the dates of the festival. Note: Do not click “Watch Now” (or press play) until you are ready to watch the film. Once you press Watch Now, you have 24 hours to watch the film.
Want to create a wish list of films you're considering watching? Click the star next to the Order Tickets button on any event page to create your list. Find your starred events by turning on "only show starred events" in the filter.
Can I rewind or start a program over?
Yes, you have complete access to the entire program during your watch window.
Will my web browser affect streaming?
Please reference the supported operating systems and browsers below. If you are trying to access a film program and receive an error message, clear your browser history, then close and restart your browser.
Supported operating systems:
OS X/macOS: 10.9 or later
Windows: Windows 7 or later
Linux: Ubuntu 16.04 or later / Fedora 25 or later / Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 or later
Supported browsers
Chrome: Version 51 and newer
Safari: 9 and newer
Internet Explorer: 11
Edge: Version 31 and newer
Mobile
iOS: iOS 9.0 or later
Android: Android 4.4 or later
Windows Phone (beta): Windows Phone 8.0 or later
I bought a film or program and now it’s 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 your pass. You can login 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 can I redeem my discount code to watch a movie?
In select cases, BSDFF distributes discount codes through community partners to provide access to the festival. If you have a code, select the film you want to watch and click “Unlock Now”. In the check-out screen, select “Have a Discount Code?” input your discount code. The cost will change according to the code. Proceed to sign in to Eventive or create an account, if you do not already have one, and then enjoy the film.
BSDFF Virtual Cinema Glossary
VIRTAUL PASS – Think of it as a virtual badge. You will use it to unlock virtual programs before and during the festival
VIRTUAL CINEMA - This is the online platform where all films at the virtual portion of BSDFF 2024 will be avilable to stream.
LIVE STREAM PROGRAM – For our purposes, a Livestream event will include those that happen at a specific time and occur live (such as filmmaker Q&As) and recorded versions of live events that occurred earlier in the festival.
GEO-BLOCK – On rare occasions, the festival will be asked to limit the audience of a given program to a specific geographic area. Should a program be geo-blocked, it will be noted in the film description for the presentation and will also be found on the watch page of the virtual festival in the Geo-Blocked section.
AVAILABILITY WINDOW – This is the time frame during which a program is available.
UNLOCK WINDOW – This is the time frame one has after unlocking a program to begin watching it.
WATCH WINDOW – Once a program is unlocked, the watch window is the amount of time one has to view the program.
All scheduled program times are listed in Mountain Standard Time (MST).
Can I watch films from outside the US?
Many of the films will be available to watch from anywhere in the world, but there are a select few that have geographic restrictions. Visit the Virtual Schedule information page for details!
More questions? Be sure to check out Eventive’s FAQ Guide.