MAKE FILM HISTORY DOCFEST CHALLENGES (2024-26)

In 2024, we ran an archive-inspired Make Film History Challenge leading up to two industry sessions at Sheffield DocFest about archive-inspired filmmaking. We offered emerging filmmakers access to 40 films for creative reuse, challenging them to create a short film (up to three minutes) which reinterpreted the archive in new and imaginative ways.

We were really impressed with the creativity and diversity of the thirty-three short films produced over a two-week period for the challenge. Seven of the films were screened during a Make Film History session at Sheffield DocFest and two shared the £1000 cash prize: Colour Separation Overlay and Nowadays.

We returned to DocFest in June 2025 to launch the Reuters Screenocean Make Film History Challenge, giving 100 filmmakers from 26 countries around the world access to one million archive clips from the Reuters Screenocean Collection for creative reuse in a new short film. The challenge produced 61 new archive-inspired shorts from 18 countries. Seven shortlisted films were showcased at DocFest in June 2026, with filmmakers from the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Bermuda joining us to discuss their work. Their films reinterpreted the Reuters archive to give us insightful new takes on global conflict, colonial legacies and migrant stories from fresh and original perspectives. The winning film Bermuda Riots are Different was recently selected for the BFI London Film Festival.

You can watch a selection of shortlisted films from both challenges below. You can also watch six long-listed films from the Reuters Screenocean Challenge in an online showcase here. The archive collection which inspired the 2024 challenge is also available below.

Bermuda Riots are Different teaser trailer © Alyson Thompson/Matt Mead (2026)

52Hz © Federico Barassi (2026)

Yugoslavia © Angela Bedekovic (2026)

Zugunruhe © Benjamin Rupprecht and Florence Humphrys (2026)

EQUITY 6928 © Rory Carroll (2026)

Nowadays © Susie Guy (2024)

Colour Separation Overlay © Blu Smith (2024)

Home © White Teeth (2024)

We Alive © P1nk Poodle (2024)

The Reuters Connect Make Film History Challenge was kindly sponsored by Reuters Screenocean (now called Reuters Connect), in partnership with Sheffield DocFest and the Make Film History team. With thanks to Helen Walker, Siri Abrahamson, Anna Ison, Tom Smith, Patrizia Manzini, Raul Niño Zambrano, Mimi Poskitt and Harry Corps.

The 2024 Make Film History Challenge was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (part of UK Research and Innovation) and supported by our archive partners: BBC Archive, the British and Irish Film Institutes, Northern Ireland Screen, Yorkshire Film Archive and Villon Films. With thanks to Graham Relton, Alex Wilson, Jackie Jones, Martin John Harris and David Falconer Rea.

You can view the films made available to the filmmakers for the 2024 Make Film History Challenge below and follow us on X @makefilmhistory for updates on the next challenge.