Not Another Home Movie is a family story that is true and meaningful and preserved on film. It is a film memoir. It is a complete story, not fragments of home movie clips. How is it different from a home movie? A home movie is a recording of silly, funny, or intimate moments with family members, but even though they are precious, they do not reflect and find meaning in the past. But Not Another Home Movie NAHM film does reflect and find wisdom in the past. This year we will pay extra attention to films that show humorous storytelling, and we will add an extra award to recognize humorous stories.

We started this short film festival because we want people to see the value of their own stories and we want storytelling to be accessible.

2nd Not Another Home Movie (NAHM) Global Film Festival is a one-day annual, hybrid festival at the heart of George Washington University on Feb. 27, 2027. We want to celebrate your own true family or personal story.

What makes your family unique? What is your family legacy? Do you have a humorous story to pass to the next generation? How did you overcome a difficult time or celebrate a joyful memory? We are looking for stories about special moments in your life, not your life story.

NAHM Film Festival is about connecting generations within families in a meaningful and artistic way. In your short film, tell your family story you want to preserve for the next generation or show us what makes your younger brother, or your great great grandfather, grandmother, or family unique.

We will consider your film for judging ONLY if it follows ALL the following rules:
#1- The film duration MUST be between 3-5 min, 3 min is the minimum and 5 min is the maximum.
#2- The film’s theme MUST be ~your~ true and meaningful family story -like a family memoir. You can see examples of family films we accept here: https://notanotherhomemovie.com/
#3- The film MUST include a home movie clip. We want you to tell your complete story, by including the right home movie clip in it and a conversation with a family member or childhood friend. The home movie clip does not have to be from childhood or old, it can be a recent home movie video clip.

You can be creative and use any narrative structure and any cinematic mode to tell your true and meaningful family story as long as it follows the rules above.

Also, if you are interested in more guidance focused on family storytelling, we offer Zoom educational sessions to help with story and film structure. If you are interested in any of our training sessions please let us know by email or by filling out this short interest form: https://forms.gle/jf7LZtD8e3RK4H586

Awards & Prizes

Grand Jury Awards

1. Best Storytelling Award
Honors the film that delivers authentic, emotionally resonant, and masterful storytelling.
Prize: $800
2. New Art Form Award
Honors the film that breaks new ground in form, technique, or narrative structure
Prize: 2 Nights at All Movie Hotel - Valued at $500

⸻

Impact & Audience Awards
• Opportunity Award - USA
Recognizes a film from U.S. creators that elevates stories of empowerment, equity, or transformation.
Prize: $500 cash
• Opportunity Award – Global
Same as above, for filmmakers from outside the U.S.
Prize: $500 cash
• Audience Favorite
Awarded to the film that receives the highest combined votes from both in-person and virtual festival audiences.
Prize: $200

All the winners will be chosen by a selection committee, which will include industry and alumni film curators, cinematographers and student filmmakers, and there will be an awards ceremony.
The judges who participated with NAHM since the beginning:
Mark Yoffe, film curator at George Washington University
Jan Roberts-Breslin, Emerson College, Dean Grad. & Prof. Studies
Wendy Ellis, Inaugural Director, Institute for Socioeconomic Opportunity at George Washington University
Ben Horn, CREATE Studio at George Washington University
Andrew Moger, CREATE Studio at George Washington University
Aaron Dye, filmmaker @ Planet Forward
Matthew McDonell, Cinematographer in the DMV area
Mark Ricche, Award winning filmmaker in the DMV area
Marcel Richardson Villenas - NAHM Student filmmaker at GWU and NAHM team member
Nina Feliciano - Alum Musician at GWU and NAHM team member
Beteel Abu-Ageel - NAHM team member

Rules & Terms

What makes a Not Another Home Movie film? We are accepting short film submissions about true and meaningful family stories with the following rules:
1- Must be 3-5 minutes
2- Must Include a conversation with a family member
3- Must include at least one home movie clip
4-Must include some family photos.

See examples of family films we accept here: https://notanotherhomemovie.com/

The filmmaker must own the submitted film or have permission to use any copyrighted images or music.

Film submissions need to be appropriate for ALL AUDIENCES.

Film winners are chosen by the selection committee.

We do not pay screening fees to show films during the festival.

All films need to provide a 1080p mp4 stereo mix for the festival screening.

Physical Media
If you are mailing us physical media such as a hard drive, or Blu-ray Disc and would like to have them returned after the festival, please provide the necessary packaging and pre-paid postage so we can slip it into the mail immediately following the conclusion of the festival. The festival will NOT return physical media at the festivals cost.
6 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Vittorio Caratozzolo

    Very happy to have been (virtually) your guests. Next year we'll try again to surprise you!

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Vittorio! You were more that a virtual guest. Your film was selected for screening out of 522 films from 57 countries. Only 16 films made it to the screening on Feb. 20 and yours was one of them. We can't wait to see your next film!

  • Romolo Cerra

    Participating in the NAHM Film Festival was one of the most unexpectedly meaningful experiences I have had as a student. What started as a filmmaking project quickly turned into something much more personal. The process of making my film was truly reflective and made me learn a lot about myself, pushing me to revisit memories I had never really stopped to think about and to have conversations I would not have had otherwise.
    There is something special about what NAHM asks of its filmmakers. Instead of looking outward, you are invited to turn the camera on your own life and treat your family story as something worth preserving and sharing with the world. That is not always easy, but it is absolutely worth it.
    The event itself was incredibly well run. The organizers put together an evening that felt both intimate and genuinely moving, bringing together stories from all over the world under one roof. Their passion for making storytelling accessible to everyone was visible throughout the whole experience and they truly deserve recognition for how well they pulled everything off.
    I truly encourage them and everything they are working towards, and I am already looking forward to a second edition. Thank you for creating something this meaningful.

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Romolo! Your film won the heart of audiences over and over again and we can't wait to see you next film. Thank you for sharing your experience with the world.

  • Mehmet Katalıoğlu

    It was wonderful, and after the festival ended, Ms. Hanaan and Mr. Mark contacted me, we chatted, and they valued us and our thoughts, which made me very happy. I'm also very happy to be in the top 10 out of 520 films. I'm also happy that my film was the only one selected from Türkiye, my country, and that I represented my country. Thanks to my team, Kasırga Sinema, Nahm, and the Filmafreeway family.

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Mehmet Katalıoğlu, for moving the conversation around personal storytelling forward. We feel your passion and we want to be part of it. Thank you!

  • fataneh Garoosi

    Thank you so much for the wonderful ceremony I experienced at the Not Another Home Movie Festival,
    I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for this incredible experience. Receiving the award as one of the winners is my first award for my work, and it has created a sweet and unforgettable memory for me.
    The joy and encouragement you all provided during the awards ceremony are moments I will cherish forever. Your support has ignited a spark of hope in my heart and inspired me to continue creating with passion.
    Thank you once again for this extraordinary honor. Your recognition means more to me than words can express.

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Fataneh! Your film "Wave" inspired all of us. Many of our audience members followed up wanting to know more about your very moving film. We look forward to seeing your next creation.

  • Evan Carse

    Having my film Call Your Mom recognized with the Best Storytelling Award was such a meaningful honor because of what NAHM values. Being recognized specifically for storytelling, at a festival built around the idea that personal stories deserve a cinematic stage, felt like the best thing that could have happened for my film. NAHM lives up to its name and curates a global selection of family films while remaining deeply intimate.

    February 2026
    Helpful