San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

What are this year's theaters and dates?

San Francisco, Castro Theatre: July 19 - 26

Berkeley, Roda Theatre (at Berkeley Repertory Theatre): July 28 - August 4

Palo Alto, Aquarius Theatre,: July 28 - August 2

San Rafael, Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center: August 4 – 6

Special screenings of A Touch Away:
San Francisco, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco: August 4-5

Where and when can I get tickets and passes?

Starting June 20th (June 19 for Jewish Film Forum members) you may order advance film festival tickets here on our website or over the phone. That number is 925-275-9490. You may fax your request (925-866-9597), or mail it to:

SF Jewish Film Festival Box Office
PO Box 2229 Danville, CA 94526

How much are the festival tickets?

Ticket prices for regular admission:

Matinees

Monday-Thursday, up to and including 4pm

Tickets not required for free matinees

Special Programs

SF Opening Night Film and pre-film Cocktail Reception:

SF Opening Night Film only:

Centerpiece Film: His People with live jazz score

SF Closing Night Film, including pre-film extras and comedy with Judy Gold:

Berkeley Opening Night Film and Dessert Reception:

How do passes and discount cards work?

All Festival Passes:

One pass good for all of the shows at all theater including Opening and Closing Night films and events.

A reel deal if you're 25 years or younger. One pass good for all of the shows at all theaters including Opening and Closing Nights films and events.

Pass-holders please note:

Opening Night (San Francisco only) requires a separate reserved-seating ticket, even if you have an All-Festival Pass or Reel Pass. Please call the box office for details.

Discount 10-Flix Card (up to $25 discount)

The 10-Flix card is convenient, economical and flexible. Each 10- Flix card is good for 10 regular-priced tickets of your choice. Not good for special programs. Each 10-Flix card has a unique 16-digit number that you may use at any time before and throughout the Festival to redeem your tickets online, by phone, mail, fax or at the box office. Please note: 10-Flix cards cannot guarantee tickets to sold out shows, so redeem early if you know your selection. 10-Flix cards are fully transferable; share with family and friends. Great for gifts.

What is the Jewish Film Forum?

The Jewish Film Forum is SFJFF’s new membership and affiliation program. Supporters of the Jewish Film Forum at $50 or more enjoy exclusive discounts on festival tickets, passes and 10-Flix cards, special year-round programs, as well the knowledge that they are supporting independent Jewish cinema. For more information click here.

How or where do I get a printed program?

You may request this year's program by filling out the request form or you may call the Box Office program request hotline (925-275-9490). Either way you will be sent a program ASAP.

Where can I download the program, calendar, or ticket order form?

On this website, go to Download a Guide and you will find downloads of Adobe Acrobat PDF files.

When and how will I receive my tickets?

BY MAIL

Tickets will automatically be mailed to billing address unless an alternate option is chosen. Tickets or Will Call confirmation will be mailed within five business days. Orders received within ten days of first film ordered will automatically be placed at Will Call. Tickets returned to the Box Office will be placed at Will Call.

WILL CALL

Photo ID required when picking up tickets at theater Will Call table.

What about ordering tickets during the Festival?

AT THE THEATERS:

Day-of-show tickets will be sold at each theater, beginning one hour prior to the first film of the day. Advance tickets for other days are available at all venues except Palo Alto, but not within 30 minutes of the start of any screening. Cash only. ON WEEKENDS: You can only order via the Web on weekends. We get so few weekend orders by phone that we can not keep the Box Office open on Saturdays or Sundays. Be advised that web orders must come in at least 48 hours before a show or we do not have time to get the tickets ready for will call.

How can I find out if a show is sold out?

You must call the Box Office directly to check. If you are ordering online and a show is sold out, you will not be able to purchase tickets - so if you were able to buy them you don't have to worry. ON WEEKENDS we recommend coming by the theater to make sure, although you can try calling the theater as well.

How is will-call going to work this year?

The on-site Box Office & Will Call table opens one (1) hour prior to the start time of the day's first show. It will remain open until the start time of the final screening of the day. Photo ID is required when picking up tickets at theater Will Call table - only the person whose name is on the order will be able to pick up the tickets.

What is a "Rush Line" and how does it work?

A Rush line is like "stand-by." When a film is sold out, tickets may be available through rush. Some seats at every show are held for pass holders until 20 minutes prior to show time. If seats are not used, they are released for sale to persons standing in the RUSH LINE. This line may form up to one hour prior to show time. A place in the rush line does not guarantee a seat. Because rush lines are only necessary at sold-out shows, it can be very hectic and confusing for both the people in the line and the staff or volunteers managing the line. When we introduce the movie we ask everyone in the house to raise their hands if a seat next to them is empty and let them know that they may no longer hold seats for people. We count the remaining seats and release those to people in the rush line according to their place in line. The fact that you have a number does not guarantee that we will have a seat for you (unfortunately). Please understand that we start the rush line as a courtesy. We do our best to make everyone happy but we cannot. We encourage you to buy tickets in advance, or to use the Ticket Exchange if we are sold out. On occasion we will need to let people in to the theater who have not been waiting in the rush line and ask that you be understanding about this. We must reserve the right to make exceptions for special circumstances.

I bought tickets and can't make it - can I get a refund?

ALL ORDERS ARE FINAL!
NO TICKET OR PASS REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES!!

There are several important reasons for this policy (see also the next question).

We have a limited number of seats and must plan for passholders as well as individual ticket-holders. This is complicated enough already without having to account for people wanting to exchange or get refunds for tickets.

As you may have noticed, the on-site box office area can be hectic. We must keep things simple to keep our sanity!

We are a non-profit organization. Every little bit counts for us - and the logistical costs of refunding tickets can be quite high.

Apropos to that, we encourage you to consider the cost of your unused ticket as a donation to the health of independent Jewish-subject cinema!

I'm buying a pass - does that guarantee me a seat?

Ticket holders or pass holders must arrive 20 minutes prior to the show time in order to be guaranteed a seat. There are reasons for this:

We try to protect the integrity of the theatre experience for the audience members who have arrived on-time (and often as much as an hour early). How do you feel when you're watching a movie and the doors keep opening and closing?!

We reserve seats at every show for passholders and advance ticket holders - until twenty minutes before showtime. As we do not know how many of these ticket buyers will show up after that time, we must open those seats to people who are present at the site. THIS IS MORE OF A PROBLEM AT SMALL VENUES AND SOLD-OUT SHOWS - when tensions are high anyway. Please bear with us and remember we are a not-for-profit organization trying to serve the community with limited resources and a very small staff. We are not out to make a fast buck by selling your seat out from under you!

What if I want to order a batch of tickets for a group?

You may contact our Box Office at 925-275-9490 for any group sales questions.

Why do we have to wait in line?

The reason we have our festival guests wait in line before each show is to assure that the theater staff has an opportunity to clear out the theatre from the previous show. On occasion when there is a special guest the Question and Answer period runs longer than we predicted.

Plus it's a fun way to talk to meet people standing in line with you. Who knows - you might just make a friend. Waiting in line for films is part of the thrill of the Festival!

I want to donate to the SFJFF, how do I do that?

If you'd like to make a secure online gift to the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, or become a member of SFJFF’s new Jewish Film Forum, please click here.

You will be redirected to the website of www.JustGive.org.

Just Give is a sponsor-supported nonprofit organization who will process your transaction and absorb all of the costs. The SFJFF will receive 97% of your donation. Once you're on the page, click the Donate Now button one more time. On the next page, enter the amount you'd like to contribute, then click "Add to Basket" and you'll be walked through the rest of the process. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us.

Why do certain programs cost more?

The Opening and Closing night films and Centerpiece screening are special events that include parties, live music or other extras.

Which are the special programs?

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

SF Opening Night Film & Before Film Reception Cocktail Reception and reserved theatre seating

SF Opening Night Film Only
Reserved theatre seating

Centerpiece Film: His People with live jazz score

SF Closing Night Film & After Film Dessert

Berkeley Opening Night Film & After Film Dessert

(No discounted tickets for Opening & Closing Nights)

Why isn't the program I want to see playing in the theater near me?

Distributors can also be very particular about how many screenings they wish to offer the Festival. This is something we have no control over - although we do everything we can to get screenings for every show at every available venue.

Why is the festival screening at the Aquarius in Palo Alto this year?

Fully-equipped 35mm theaters that can be rented outright (the term in our business is “four-walled”) are a rare commodity these days, especially on the Peninsula. We are happy to be working with Landmark Theatres, the operators of the Aquarius, who are welcoming us this summer to downtown Palo Alto. The central location and proximity to dining and public transportation are real benefits of the Aquarius. While the Aquarius is smaller than our other venues, it is still large enough to accommodate our Peninsula audience members for the great majority of our screenings; however, a few of our most popular programs (often the first evening screening) will likely sell out. Please buy your tickets early. If a program is sold out, you can try the Rush Line or attend a screening at another venue.

Why is the box office phone number a 925 number?

Trilogy Productions takes care of our Box Office. Their offices are in Danville. We looked into a forwarding 415 or 510 number but the costs were prohibitive.

Do I need a ticket for the free matinee?

No. Tickets are not required for free matinees! Just show up and walk right in. Please do come on time though. Didn't your mother teach you to come on time? She'd be very unhappy to find out that you arrived late, and made everyone else suffer. Especially since the nice people are showing the movie for free.