EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Jewish Film Festival starts Sunday and the event is completely virtual for the first time in 25 years.

Once viewers register online they receive links that give them access to the films, as well as festival events.

Each day a new movie from around the world will be unlocked and available to view at home from 12 p.m. to midnight.

There are seven feature and five short films which cover a wide variety of topics.

"Our themes are pretty broad and universal so we have movies that deal with civil rights issues, with LGBTQ+ issues, with disability love. So it's all across the map and a lot of really beautiful cinematography of Israel as well," Stacey Leavitt-Wright, CEO of The Jewish Federation of Edmonton said.

On Sunday there will also be a zoom panel with the director of the first film being shown.

The panel will be moderated by NDP MLA David Shepherd.

"The majority of our films this year just happen to come from Israel so you get a real vibrancy of what's going on in Israeli culture and society right now," said Leavitt-Wright.

Throughout the festival there will be virtual "lobby" events to allow people to visit as if they were in person. The festival is free to attend.

"We just thought it was something we could give back to the community right now," said Leavitt-Wright.

Though the event is free, any donations collected during the festival go towards the Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s COVID relief fund.

The festival runs from May 2 to May 11.