Frequently Asked Questions
Our platform enables global screening tours – online and offline – through an innovative video delivery platform with a full suite of rights management tools for content owners and event management tools for screening hosts.
We’re seeking feature length films, at festival quality level that we think will perform well with Kinema Hosts. Short films and serials are welcome. To submit your film visit kinema.com/filmmakers.
We welcome anyone to join Kinema. We do review and approve films to ensure they are of festival quality and appropriate for the platform, but this is a quick process and films are usually approved within a 2 business days to 1 week.
Kinema is a tool to facilitate the non-theatrical exhibition of your film. We do not provide marketing or promotion, we allow filmmakers to streamline their alternative distribution using our tools. Non-theatrical exhibitors (aka Hosts) may book showings of your film through Kinema.com. Showings can be in-person, virtual live, and virtual on-demand. You can also enable watch now rentals directly to audiences. We do not acquire films, you maintain your rights.
We're part subscription, part revenue share and have a set of plans to fit a variety of budgets, check out all pricing details here.
Your film generates revenue through licensing fees, ticketing, and rentals. Hosts either pay a licensing fee to book a showing of your film, or they sell tickets and split the revenue with you.
Yes, maintaining privacy and security is extremely important to us. We have DRM protections, all Film Files are encrypted upon delivery, we offer Geo-Restriction by country, and filmmakers have are able to manage their account at any time. See more here - https://support.kinema.com/en/articles/8183988-overview-of-kinema-security-features
Filmmakers set the minimum and maximum rate for individual tickets to a showing of the film. Hosts then choose a price to offer for their event within that set window. Standard revenue split on ticketing is 45% to the filmmaker, 45% to the screening host, and 10% to Kinema, all split after processing and credit card costs.
Yes! We will provide you with a standard and recommended rate care, but you can entirely customize and/or update at any time. Licensing fees are determined by host type and audience size.
Absolutely. We encourage you to list all your past films on Kinema.
We do not, but if you are interested you can provide your preferred contact information to hosts within their own event management console.
We do not, and it is not necessary. Our Offline Kinema Player allows Hosts to safely and securely access and play your film without the internet.
We request these upfront with the film. Any new subtitle or cc files will require us to re-upload and re-encrypt the film, and you may incur additional costs (usually a $50 encoding fee per file update.)
You will have access to a reports dashboard that provides information on your bookings, tickets/rsvps, pricing and payouts. We care deeply about the privacy of paying screening hosts and their audience members. We do not offer access to the number of views or time watched for the virtual screenings within that dashboard. However, if the attendee has opted in to share their email with you then you will receive that information. See more here - https://support.kinema.com/en/articles/7212256-reports-payouts
Both! You can choose up to three ways to hava a screening:
In-Person: We provide you with a secure way to download the film for a limited time. You will need to download to the computer you will be using for the event.
Virtual Live: A live streamed synchronous viewing of the film at a scheduled date and time. You will be provided with an event page where your audience can register. All audience members must register for the event with a Kinema account to view the film. They will then be provide with instructions for accessing and their ticket will be in their account dashboard. They will watch in sync on Kinema, and can live text chat. You also have the option to live broadcast a Q&A after.
Virtual On-demand. Set a window of time, between 1-30 days, in which your audience can watch the film through Kinema on their own time. All audience members must register for the event with a Kinema account to view the film.
We review all screening requests to ensure the film is ready for you. So while most events may be approved within a couple hours, please allow for up to 2 business days for your event to be approved.
If your event is within 48 hours, contact hello@kinema.com or engage the chat box in the bottom right corner of your screen.
We recommend either attending a virtual screening to experience it first-hand. If needed, you may reach out to us directly to inquire about a demo.
As the host, your account will automatically be provided with one free ticket for In-Person and Live Virtual Events. You will need to register or purchase a ticket for your own on-demand event. For secure access, each attendee must have an account and ticket.
You can screen any movie from our available library. These films are carefully curated and have been licensed to allow for screening events.
Public screening events are listed on our Events page and are open to anyone to attend. They are also listed in our upcoming screenings and available in search engine results.
Private screenings have a dedicated event page with information on how to get tickets. This page can only be accessed through a unique link you share with your guests.
While we advocate for freedom of speech, we also value safe spaces for conversations. The chat function in your virtual cinema has an automated filter to block inappropriate content. Any further moderation will need to be done by the host, as you will have the ability to delete messages and block users. Please note the chat cannot be turned off.
Yes. All payment information is submitted and securely stored with our payment processor, Stripe.
We recommend watching on a non-mobile device and using the latest version of Chrome. If you are still encountering issues, please try refreshing your page. If that doesn’t work, contact us at hello@kinema.com or via the chat option in the bottom right corner.
Yes! Connect your computer to the TV with an HDMI cable to watch on your TV. See this guide for other ways to watch on TV
Closed captioning is available if the filmmakers have provided these. Captions/subtitles can be enabled in the video player for Virtual and On-demand via the following -
To enable captions or subtitles:
As the host, if you cancel your ticketed event then all of your guests will be refunded for their tickets. If your event is free and you paid a licensing fee upfront, you can cancel up to 2 weeks before your event to still receive a refund.
For all other cases, there are no refunds.
You will either receive an invite to a specific screening event, or you can find a public screening in the Events section. You will need a Kinema account to attend any screenings. Sign up for an account here.
Live Virtual Events: Yes, the film will automatically start at the designated time. Show up early. The virtual room opens 30 minutes before the start time - and there are sometimes pre-movie surprises that you don’t want to miss.
In-person Events: Yes. The host or projectionist on site will start the film when they or the audience is ready.
On-demand Events - No, the film is available to you within a window of time selected by your Host. You can watch at any time during that time frame. Once you start the film you will have 48 hours to complete it. You can watch as many times as you’d like within that 48 hour rental period.
Watch Now Rentals - No the film is available to you for 48 hours. You can watch as many times as you’d like within that 48 hour rental period.
No. Your account and ticket is unique to you. Each person must have their own account and ticket to attend.
Double check your spam, junk, or promotions folder in case the confirmation was filtered out. If you don’t see it, log into your Kinema account and go to your Tickets section in the upper right hand corner – all purchased tickets will be there. If you see a charge on your credit card, but no tickets there, contact us at hello@kinema.com.
There is also a chance you registered your email/account with a typo. If you suspect this may be the case reach out so we can walk you through next steps to get into your account.
Sharing is caring! Send them a link to the event page!
Yes
In the top-right corner of the Kinema homepage, select ‘Log In’ and follow the onscreen prompts. You can edit your account by clicking your initials in the top-right corner and Account Settings.
In the top-right corner of any page, click your initials and select Account Settings from the drop-down menu. You will be emailed a link to reset your password, please check your junk folder if you do not see an email from hello@kinema.com
No, your account is unique to you. A friend must create an account to host or attend a screening event. If you share an account, and both try to watch the film, one will be kicked out.
Yes. All payment information is submitted and securely stored with our payment processor, Stripe, a PCI-certified Service Provider Level 1.
We recommend watching on a non-mobile device and using the latest version of Chrome. If you are still encountering issues, please try refreshing your page. If that doesn’t work, contact us at hello@kinema.com or click the chat box in the bottom right corner.
Yes, you can using Safari on iOS 12 or later.
At this time chat is only available on laptop or desktop computer.
Yes! Connect your computer to the TV with an HDMI cable to watch on your TV.
You can also cast to your TV like this.
We strongly recommend all filmmakers provive closed captioning files. However in a few cases they are not available.
You can enable closed-captioning by clicking on the “CC” button in the lower-right corner of the player.
To enable captions:
All tickets are final and non-refundable unless the host or Kinema has canceled the screening.