Given access to over a million historic clips in the Reuters Screenocean Collection, six filmmakers have been shortlisted for their inventive films that bring archival footage into conversation with the present.
The Make Film History Challenge, in partnership with Reuters Screenocean, invited new and emerging creatives to reinterpret moments from global history, from early newsreels to the digital age, through a contemporary lens. These shortlisted works showcase the boundless potential of archive film as a medium for new ideas, voices, and perspectives.
The Shortlist
Discover the six films shortlisted for this year's online showcase.
Black Box
(James Madeja)
BLACK BOX: noun. A usually complicated electronic device whose internal mechanism is usually hidden from or mysterious to the user. Through interviews with Britain's working people, an archival investigation into the shifting work cultures of the twentieth century, and the thoughts of an artificial intelligence, BLACK BOX maps the confusing nature of the next looming technological age.
The Inspiration
Watch the video below to hear from James in his own words as he talks through his creative process and how he found inspiration from the Reuters archive.
193
(Pauline Blanchet)
In 1995, as France returned to nuclear testing in Polynesia, Tahitian protests unfolded against a backdrop of radiant tourism imagery—this film weaves together the postcard vision of paradise with the radioactive truth beneath.
The Inspiration
Watch the video below to hear from Pauline in her own words as she talks through her creative process and how she found inspiration from the Reuters archive.
