Spanish Film Club has successfully adapted its format to cope with the repercussions of COVID-19 by creating its own streaming platform to host Virtual Spanish Film Club festivals.

Each university will have access to a password-protected webpage containing detailed information on its selected films and providing streaming access to the films for a week. The page has customizable fields for universities to add their general festival details such as name, festival dates, theme, and specific screening and presentation details such as virtual watch parties, virtual introductions, panel discussions, and Q&As.

A sample of this secure page could be accessed at:

Link: https://pragda.com/sfc-event/pragda-university/
User: SFC@PragdaUniversity
Password: Filmfestival!

If you are nervous about this virtual format, register HERE to test the experience before applying to organize a Spanish Film Club festival. You will receive a link to a page and streaming access to one of our films to see how it works and live the virtual festival experience at home.

VIRTUAL SPANISH FILM CLUB FESTIVALS FAQs

Is there an additional cost for the Virtual Spanish Film Club Festival and secure page set up?
Absolutely not. The price does not change with the addition of a Virtual Spanish Film Club Festival.

How do we share the film with students?
There are two main options to share the film with your audience. They can be used independently or you can choose to combine them.

• You can share the secure page information with them directly (link, user ID, and password), for them to watch on their own at a recommended time or on their own time.
• You can organize a watch party via zoom, teams, or other platforms, and stream the film via screen share.

For how long are the films available for streaming?
Each film will be available for streaming for a week. The week can start on your scheduled screening date or a few days before; it is your choice.

Can the students watch the films on their own before the official date that we are supposed to stream them?
Each film will be available for streaming for a week. We can start that period a few days before your official screening date if desired. You establish the date range.

Can we have early access to the films? We would like to watch them beforehand.
Yes! We continue to provide access to the films beforehand so that you can make sure each title is appropriate for your program and audience. Let us know and we would send you a screener or make the film available on your page early.

How do we coordinate an introduction before the film or panel discussion/Q&A after the screening?
The Virtual Spanish Film Club Festival page has space for you to add information on those events and you can even add links to recorded introductions or zoom live meetings where the introduction will take place. You will have to set up that recording or meeting on your own. You can specify on your page if this recorded intro or zoom meeting needs to take place before or after watching the film.

Can you provide examples of how other universities have done this?
Of course, below are a few options devised by universities in the past.

• Some universities decided to record a brief introduction to each film and post it on YouTube, then they sent us a link to be added to their Presentation Schedule requesting audience members to watch the intro before screening the film.
• Some universities have created a zoom meeting and shared the film through that meeting, so people were able to have an introduction by a professor, then watch the film, and finally participate of a discussion, all in the same zoom meeting. Audience members did not have to sign in to the SFC virtual page, they just needed to sign into the Zoom meeting created by the professor.
• Other schools have assigned a specific schedule for the screening, such as 6 pm, and then set up a Zoom meeting for 7:30 pm. Audience members would log into the SFC virtual page at 6 pm to watch the film and then click on the Zoom link to meet for discussions and Q&A.
• Some schools gave audiences several days to watch the film and then organize a Zoom discussion.
• Others did the opposite; they had a Zoom discussion as an intro to the film and then gave audiences a few days to watch the film.

If we are screening additional films that do not belong to Pragda’s catalog, can you add them to the page?
Unfortunately, we cannot do that. The main reason for this is that the way the dashboard for the creation of the SFC Virtual festival page works is by pulling data from the already created film pages on our website. In order to add an external film, we would have to create a whole web page for that film on our website, publish it, and then add it to the virtual festival. We are certain that other distributors would not agree with us publishing their films on our website as if they were ours.

Are all SFC films available for virtual streaming?
Unfortunately, not. A few films have copyright restrictions that do not allow us to include them in our virtual streaming offerings. We will let you know if you select one of those films. You can also make sure to select the right films by filtering your search. Just make sure to press the red button that says STREAMING.

Does each film have its own password, in addition to the page’s password?
The majority of films will be available without an extra password. However, there are a few that belong to a specific right holder that has different protocols for streaming and will require the audience to register before watching the films. The titles that will require this extra step are In The Heights, Y tu mamá también, After Lucía, The Liberator, The Queen of Spain, Everybody Knows, and Perfect Strangers. If you select one of these films, we will send you specific instructions on how to proceed.

Are all films stored on your own server or do we need to store them on our own server?
Most films are stored in our own server, with the exception of a few that are stored in the film’s right holder’s server. You will not need to store the films on your server for streaming.

How early do we need to confirm that we are choosing to host our SFC festival as a Virtual Spanish Film Club Festival?
Ideally a month, so we have time to create the secure page for you. You will then need to review it, edit it, and share it with your audience.

Can we add information to the page ourselves or does it have to be added by Pragda?
Yes! You can now edit your own virtual page. We will create it with the initial information you send us and then you will be able to make changes and additions on your own. We will of course be available to help with this if necessary.

How early do we need to send you the information to be added to the page?
The sooner the better. We want to make sure there is enough time for us to add the information and for you to double-check that it looks and works the way you intended.

My university is open for in-person classes, can we have a Virtual Spanish Film Club Festival and a presential Spanish Film Club Festival?
Of course. If your university is allowing in-person screenings and events, we will be happy to send you digital files of the films for those screenings, or you can project the films from your computer using your Virtual Spanish Film Club page.

Is there a limit to the number of allowed sign-ins to the Virtual SFC Festival?
There is not an actual limit to the number of people who sign in to the page, but we do kindly ask that the link is treated with respect and only sent to the intended audience and shared on school-related sites only.

Does the online platform track the number of people or is that something that we’ll have to do?
Our website tracks who sign in to any of our pages, so it will track how many people sign in to your Virtual SFC Festival. However, this is our own internal tracking. We cannot track who watched each film, unfortunately. The same film link is used by more than one university at any given period of time, so the numbers wouldn’t be accurate.
If you want to keep track of how many people are interested in watching the film, we suggest you create some kind of registration form that would force audience members to register before receiving the link.

Feel free to contact us with additional questions at filmclub@pragda.com.