Are you an emerging filmmaker/creative who loves archive film? The Reuters Screenocean Make Film History Challenge, in partnership with Sheffield DocFest, gives you access to over one million archive clips from the Reuters Screenocean Collection for creative reuse in a new short film which could screen at next year’s festival.
The Reuters Screenocean archive covers everything from breaking news stories to all the major events and personalities from the beginning of film to the launch of the metaverse, immersing you in film and social history from around the world.
Make a short film (up to six minutes) which reinterprets the Reuters Screenocean archive in new and imaginative ways, giving us a fresh perspective on current debates. A selection of the most interesting films will be showcased on the Sheffield DocFest website and in an industry session at next year’s festival. One film will be chosen to win a £1000 cash prize.
This is an opportunity for filmmakers without significant experience to engage with the enormous untapped potential of archive film, and to learn to integrate it into their practice.
Reuters Screenocean is the world’s largest video archive, with newsreels dating back to 1896, and around 150 contemporary news stories added each day from around the globe. From WW1 to the conflict in Ukraine, Thomas Edison to Amelia Earhart, the wilds of Asia to the streets of Sheffield.
How to apply?
To apply to the Reuters Screenocean Make Film History Challenge 2025, please fill out the form or upload a video or voice note here: https://bit.ly/reuterschallenge
Browse the Reuters Screenocean collection, choose one or two films you’d like to respond to and send us 150 words about yourself, the films you’ve chosen and how you’d like to creatively respond to them. You could connect past and present by editing Reuters Screenocean clips with footage you shoot yourself or with other archive material.
It is free to apply and the deadline for submissions is 21 July 2025. We are committed to growing diversity in the film industry, and particularly welcome applications from underrepresented voices and communities. Entry is open to anyone over 16, anywhere in the world.
You will be contacted by the first week of August regarding the outcome of your application. Participation in the challenge is selective, but we aim to support as many films as we can.
What if my project is selected?
After agreeing to the terms of use, successful applicants will receive access to the Reuters Screenocean platform, where you can download up to 10 Reuters Screenocean videos for inclusion in your work on a non-commercial basis. We will host online workshops to support the editing of your films in August and September, and you will need to submit your completed film by 30 September 2025.
During October, a selection panel will meet to choose the films to be showcased on the Sheffield DocFest website and at next year’s festival. You will be notified of the outcome by the end of October. You will be able to screen your completed film non-commercially online and on social media and, if programmed, at Sheffield DocFest.
Want to know more?
Watch some examples of archive-inspired films produced through the Make Film History Challenge we ran at Sheffield DocFest last year. And for a project we did with 50 filmmakers around the UK/Ireland for the BBC centenary in 2022.
You can find a 40-page guide to the Creative Reuse of Archive Film on the Make Film History website. Where we’ve also created a free online course about archive-inspired storytelling, featuring interviews with filmmakers like Mark Cousins, Onyeka Igwe and Charlie Shackleton as well as editors, archivists and archive producers.
If you have any questions, please contact shane@archivesforeducation.com
