+ 1. commit to the challenge

straight 8 is a challenge - not a regular film festival - you're going to make a new film as your straight 8 entry.

*confirm your place by clicking the enter button below. we will release additional deadlines in the future - these will have a higher purchase price

film delivery deadline can be extended by request for £35 per additional month, up to feb 8th 2025. feb 21st is the final delivery deadline and no places can be extended beyond this.

once you've paid the entry fee, there’s no backing out - and that's a good thing. straight 8 is about committing. and doing.

+ 2. get your unique entry number to include in your first shot

you’ll immediately receive an email explaining how to set up your entry portal for use throughout the competition.

this guides you through the full rules and is how you get your all-important entry number which you must include visually in the first shot of your film. it's essential as it’s how we know the film was made for this edition.

you now have everything you need to start right away, no matter where in the world you are and even if we’re asleep!

+ 3. idea, idea, idea. get your idea together

with straight 8 you make the film you want to make.

no prompts, themes, genres, or random mandates.
some people have their idea before they enter, others like to feel the heat first. either way, ask yourself: what do you want to say? what do you want to make an audience think and feel? what can you achieve in a little over 3 minutes of storytelling?

+ 4. now plan your shoot

source everything you need to turn your idea into on screen magic:

your cast, your crew, your location, your props, your catering… not forgetting your camera and one new roll of super 8 film which you can buy from us, or from elsewhere.

NB. for straight 8 2025 standard entry prices allow you to use super 8 colour negative. so that’s 50D, 250D, 200T or 500T. for the first time in a long time, we now let you use tri-x or ektachrome which are both reversal stocks (not negative). you have to pay a premium to do this and we will contact you with special arrangements about where to send your film. check out all the different film types and their looks: here

+ 5. shoot while you create your final edit

you make your entire film by shooting in story order without re-takes on that one roll of super 8. and it doesn’t record sound - so that comes later.

plan for your film to work in about 3 minutes 10 seconds or less. that's how much one cartridge of super 8 will safely allow you (we scan at 18 frames per second). when you reach the end of the cartridge, your visuals are done! no messing about or changing your mind. you want a pink sky? use a filter in front of the camera. you want a title? make a physical one and shoot it. want some special effects? find out the clever in-camera ways. there is absolutely no opportunity to edit or grade or do post-production of any kind. because…

+ 6. we process your film - you don't get to see it yet

you send your exposed and un-processed super 8 cartridge to london for processing.

it must arrive at cinelab film & digital in london (or the reversal lab we specify if you've bought a reversal film place) by the film delivery deadline you selected on entry. you use your straight 8 entry portal to organise and track this. and that’s the last you see of your film for now.
in the meantime…

+ 7. make your original soundtrack 'blind'

you make a completely original soundtrack without having seen your film. sounds simple enough, right?! remember sound is half the picture!

you upload your soundtrack file via your entry portal, by 7 days after your film delivery deadline. it must be original: free of copyrighted music, samples, and effects

your film must have a soundtrack. but this doesn’t need to include dialogue, and does not need to be in english. if there are any words in your film, whatever the language, you also need to upload a set of subtitles (in english) that match your soundtrack

then there’s nothing more to do except…

+ 8. sit back and relax - if you can

you did it! well done!! now wait and find out if your film is selected.

if it makes our selections you will see it for the very first time - along with an audience - at its premiere. this means our pre-screeners loved it, then we included it in our top 25 selection from which our jury determines the top 8 selection.

• the best 8 films will premiere at our epic cannes film festival screening around may 19th!
• the full top 25 selection, including the 8 fresh from cannes, will have its cinema premiere at bfi imax london on may 24th.

and even if your film is not selected it’s not the end of the world. the standard is so high now that some films that didn’t make our selections have gone on to make it into other film festivals up against films that have been made the traditional way… with editing and everything.

everyone will get a pro-res of their synch’d film in time for the gloabl livestream of the top 25 - currently scheduled for may 31st 2025. plus we offer feedback if you want it, if not selected. let us know if you know any other festivals or competitions that offer that!

+ dates

• 21 feb 2025 - final film delivery deadline
• end of april 2025 - results announced
• 19 may 2025 tbc - cannes film festival cinema premiere of top 8
• 24 may 2025 - bfi imax london cinema premiere of top 25
• 31 may 2025 - global livestream of top 25 + all entrants' films delivered digitally

+ what's included / excluded

your entry fee includes and contributes to:

• processing
• scanning
• sound sync
• digital delivery of pro-res of every entered film
• competition entry
• competition management
• us putting on a great premiere for successful filmmakers, and opportunity for others to have a great night in with the films
• perhaps the most unique filmmaking experience money can't buy - you also need talent, ideas, can-do attitude and a bit of magic

your entry fee excludes:

• your roll of super 8 film, which you buy yourself we ship globally - but also click here for outlets near you
• everything else you need to make your film, including the camera
• your travel to premieres if selected and they happen in the real world
• re-imbursement if you don't get enough out of it. many straight8ers contact us after the shoot alone and tell us that no matter what happens with their film, they got a ton of experience and found it super-hard but amazing. that's before even seeing their film.

+ prizes

we never have individual winners. the best 8 straight8ers of the year are all joint winners. the main prize is the glory and seeing your film for the very first time live with an audience, be it at cannes, any other big cinema screen or in one of our live streams. it's a buzz you won't forget.

however, filmmakers in the best 8 selection get free entry to straight 8 2026 - hold onto your laurels if you can, year after year!

+ WONDERING WHO ENTERS STRAIGHT 8?

• look at the map on this page, and that's just this year's entrants since we opened
• we've lost count but over 3000 straight 8 films have been made by all sorts of people since 1999
• anyone anywhere can enter straight 8. the more diverse the people and their stories, the better
• find out more about who’s ever entered straight 8 here *

"i found the whole experience of making a straight 8 to be a wonderfully testing exercise in filmmaking - not just in terms of shooting, but also in writing. sure, there are a lot of constraints, but those are easily outweighed by the freedoms you can really enjoy. it’s basically a crash course of the craft in its purest form." nikolai brokolovsky, director: 'dawn'. straight 8 2021

"thank you for the chance to be involved in straight 8 2019. it was a lot of fun and has given me a big confidence boost in writing and directing my own projects outside of my ‘day job’ as a producer." rachel ramsay, director: 'venus'. straight 8 2019*

" i feel as if straight 8 really embodies everything i love about filmmaking." ollie birt, director: 'rumours'. straight 8 2019. see the local news story on him from his hometown in aus: here

+ get inspired

• watch tons of amazing straight 8s on our films page
• see how some straight 8 films were made on our making-ofs page
• check out even more films on our vimeo channel
• get inspired by watching our 2022 showcase for free here

+ cameras

• don't know where you'd get a camera, you say?
• they're everywhere! see our cameras page for more info

+ film

• we used to send films around the world as part of every entry. it wasn't very green and caused delays. now you can enter, get your entry number and start shooting because you source your own super 8 cartridge - in fact you may already have a roll
• we do still sell super 8 film. get it direct from us here or there are loads of outlets around the world - see our film outlets page for more info
• you used to only use super 8 colour negative for straight 8. there are 4 kinds but as of 2025 you can choose black & white reversal or ektachrome 100d colour reversal as well (by special arrangement via an additional fee) - check out the descriptions in our shop to see what will suit your film