The production company I-Noor film in collaboration with C4C cultural association, announces the 7th edition of Nostalgia Film Festival (NFF), focusing on " Iranian Independent Cinema", which will be held in Rome and Naples from the 10th October to 20th of November 2026.
Nostalgia Film Festival is the first and only independent Iranian Film Festival in Italy. It was launched in 2019 with the aim of showing Iranian film productions to the broadest possible European audiences.
Our festival is a yearly event featuring independent documentaries, feature-length and short films which is related to Iran, from around the world.
NFF is trying to create a space where Iranian audiences can reconsider, remember and reflect on their roots and their cultural and artistic history, which can also be discovered and explored by non-Iranian audiences.
We believe that genuine artworks reflect the cultural, social, economic and political concerns of the society which created them at a certain moment in time, and that they therefore represent a valuable opportunity to find out more about that specific society.
For us it is essential to give greater visibility to films that have more difficulty in reaching the public in general, especially due to their limited publicity and distribution .

Our priority is to focus on the content not the form, the story not the budget and the ability to tell interesting stories or to present appealing contents in original ways, despite having a low budget.

We therefore welcome new, different, edgy and exciting works made by film-makers for whom a limited budget does not prevent them from telling a good story.

NFF is also a showcase for independent Iranian film-makers around the world who want to leave their mark on the viewer.

If you have difficulties in paying by PayPal or a credit card, please email us at nostalgiafilmfestivalmilano@gmail.com .

Those who wish to pay in Rial, can send this payment to the festival account. Upon receipt of this sum, you will be sent a personal code via email, with which you can send your film by using the following link to the FilmFreeway website:

https://filmfreeway.com/NostalgiaFilmFestival

Awards & Prizes

Awards & Prizes
The Jury will assign the following prizes at its sole discretion:
NFF Award for Best Short Film
NFF Award for Best Documentary Film
NFF Award for Best Feature Film
NFF Special Jury Award

- The relevant certificates of recognition for the above-mentioned awards will also be issued.

Rules & Terms

The competition is divided into the following categories:

- SHORT FILMS (max 20 minutes, opening and closing credits included)

Works of Fiction, Documentary or Animation produced after January 1st 2023 are admitted. Works that have already won awards, been selected for other festivals, or been distributed in cinemas or on streaming platforms, can also participate.

- DOCUMENTARIES

Works of any technique in any format and produced after January 1st 2023 are admitted. Works that have already won awards, been selected for other festivals, or been distributed in cinemas or on streaming platforms, can also participate.

- FEATURE FILMS

Works of Fiction or Animation produced after January 1st, 2023, with a duration of more than 50 minutes (opening and closing credits included) are admitted. Works that have already won awards, been selected for other festivals, or been distributed in cinemas or on streaming platforms can also participate.
-The films must be submitted and registered to the festival on the FilmFreeway website (https://filmfreeway.com)starting from April 10th, 2025.

-The films submitted will be viewed by the artistic directors and the adjudicating commission, who will determine which works will be selected to compete in the festival (two films in each category). The choice of these nine finalist will be at the sole discretion of the artistic directors and the adjudicating commission of the festival.

-On 10th October 2026 the official selection of the works admitted to the competition will be made public and will be able to use the official logo of the NFF.

-Over the days of the festival, usually the five finalists in each category will be screened.

-The festival accepts films from Iranian directors, films in Farsi and films about Iran made by directors from any country.

-All the films submitted must be provided with foreign language subtitles, preferably in Italian or alternatively in English

-The finalists must send the following materials: an H.264 Full-HD file of the film with Italian subtitles (SRT file), a poster, a photo of the director, photos of the set, a trailer and a press kit.

- The submitter gives permission to the Nostalgia Film Festival that if the film was selected, the festival can screen the 9 selected films in cultural programs throughout the year.

- Non-specified cases

The festival committee will decide on any cases which have not been stipulated in this regulations document. The signature of the applicant implies full understanding of and consent to the rules.
13 Reviews
Overall Rating
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  • ROYA RABBANI

    So thrilled that my film "Stone Roof" was selected for the Nostalgia Film Festival, where it received the Best Documentary award. This festival, celebrating Iranian independent cinema, impressed me with its warm, professional, and truly artistic spirit. Many thanks to the amazing team—I hope Nostalgia continues to inspire and support filmmakers for many years to come.

    November 2025
    Helpful
  • Esmail .

    Thank you very much for your support of the filmmakers and the festival. I am happy to have been a small part of a beautiful event at the Nostalgia Festival.
    The Nostalgia Festival is a place for Iranian films.

    November 2025
    Helpful
  • Roshi Nasehi

    Nostalgia is a truly artist-led, independent Iranian film festival in the heart of Rome and I had a very nice couple of days meeting the community around Blue Desk cinema and seeing a number of excellent Iranian films. Thanks too to the festival jury for their wonderful comments and for awarding our film #ThePaperBag a special mention. It is the most beautiful trophy we have ever received. A highly recommended festival for Iranian film-makers and Italians interested in Iranian film.

    November 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Dear Roshi,

    Thank you so much for your kind and generous words. We are truly happy that you enjoyed your time with our community at Blue Desk Cinema and that The Paper Bag received the appreciation it deserves. Your beautiful message gives our small, independent festival the strength to keep going and dreaming bigger.

    We look forward to seeing your future work and hope to welcome you again at the next edition of Nostalgia.
    Warm regards,
    Nostalgia Film Festival

  • Tara Aghdashloo

    A great festival with a wonderful line up of films!

    January 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the lineup, and your support means a lot to our small festival. Hope to see your work with us again soon!

    Nostalgia Film Festival Team

  • Tree Film Distribution

    A valuable and lovely festival with a wonderful team. We can't wait to have this sweet experience again next year with a new project.

    December 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your beautiful words! We truly appreciate your support, and we can’t wait to see your new project next year. It’s an honour to have you as part of the Nostalgia family.

    Nostalgia Film Festival Team