Iris Film Festival

A short film festival in the heart of Sabina

The Iris Film Festival is a cinematic showcase dedicated to quality short films that has chosen Poggio Catino as its autumn home, a village of a few hundred inhabitants nestled in the province of Rieti, in the heart of the Lazio Sabina region. Conceived and directed by Fabrizio Fazio, the festival is organized by Fabrizio Fazio Communications under the patronage of the Municipality of Poggio Catino, which provides the hall of its historic palace.

The idea behind the event is both simple and ambitious: to bring short cinema—often confined to specialized circuits in large cities—into an intimate setting where the audience can watch the films and meet the creators. It is a formula that, in just a few years, has built a loyal following, attracting directors from all over Italy and abroad.

Palazzo Olgiati, an extraordinary screening room

Screenings are held in the Council Chamber of Palazzo Olgiati, at Piazza Capizucchi 1, the seat of the Municipality. The building stands at the top of Colle Moricone and was transformed by the Olgiati family in the early 17th century into a sumptuous noble residence: watching contemporary short films inside a 17th-century palace is one of the festival's most unexpected and successful attractions.

What to expect

The official selection is curated by an internal jury and remains deliberately open to all genres. Previous editions have featured:

• comedy and light auteur cinema;
• thriller and suspense films;
• drama and cinema of the real;
• fantasy and visual experimentation.

The regulations accept fiction short films and documentaries up to 30 minutes, including opening and closing credits, while music videos and commercials are excluded. Entries are accepted through the FilmFreeway platform and close in the spring. At the end of the screening day, the awards ceremony takes place, with plaques presented to the winners of the various categories.

One festival, two souls

Over the years, the festival has taken on a dual identity. The Poggio Catino leg is the autumn edition, concentrated into a single day in October, with the second edition taking place on October 18, 2025. Starting from the third edition, the organization announced a move of the main screenings to Ostia Antica, at the Giulì al Tiber space, transforming the festival into a Roman summer event. At the moment, no new date has been announced for the Sabina leg: those wishing to follow the event in Poggio Catino are invited to consult the official website and the Municipality's channels.

Poggio Catino and the Sabina region

Poggio Catino belongs to the Province of Rieti, in the Lazio Region, and is part of the Sabina area of olive groves, medieval villages, and abbeys that stretches between the Tiber and the Sabini Mountains. The town preserves the ancient core of Catino, dominated by the remains of the castle, and is famous for the production of Sabina PDO extra virgin olive oil, one of the oldest olive oil denominations in Italy. A festival day thus easily becomes an opportunity for a wider visit: Farfa with its imperial abbey, Roccantica, Casperia, and Cantalupo in Sabina are all within a few kilometers.

Free admission

Screenings for the Poggio Catino leg have always been free of charge, subject to availability. No reservation is required, but the capacity of the Council Chamber is limited, so it is advisable to arrive well in advance of the start time.