straight 8

+ 1. final straight 8 2022 places out now. so don’t miss the boat!

the final straight 8 2022 places are out now, with a july 8th film delivery deadline just released. there will be no more deadlines for straight 8 2022, so if you’ve been hanging on for a later spot, hang no more!

take your place now and once you’ve entered our entry portal will guide you through the whole process. what will you do with your 3 minutes of film stock?

your straight 8 can be any theme you choose. from comedic freudian golf musicals to tormenting psychological horrors on self-flagellating doctors… if you have a straight 8 in you, we want to see it!

all details are at straight8.net/2022

+ 2. shootout 2022 is now open to the first 20 companies only. go!

straight 8 shootout is heading back to cannes for this year’s inter-company charity competition!

there are just 20 spaces for creative companies anywhere to compete at straight 8 shootout.

films must be made on one roll of super 8 film and every shot must be taken in story order with no opportunity for re-takes or post-production. the first time anyone will see even their own work will be at our cannes cinema premiere on friday june 24th. because with shootout every film is shown - no matter how, or even if, it comes out

get your entry at straight8.net/shootout-2022

in london?

please join us for the straight 8 shootout 2022 launch event on march 24th at the prince charles cinema, at 6.15pm. get inspired with the first ever big-screen showing of the six winning films from the two lockdown shootouts, followed by a panel with last edition’s gold winners, caviar - who have already committed to defend their title for 2022. each ticket includes a drink token for the post-event drinks at a nearby venue.

get tickets here

+ 3. for the love of cinema! it's good to be home!

the last two years have been trying times for our local cinemas so they need us now more than ever. and nothing beats the experience of watching a film on the big screen, the way it was intended.

so…

we’re thrilled to announce that this year the straight 8 premieres will be back in a packed-out london cinema: viewed for the very first time by the filmmakers along with an audience!

full premiere details will follow but we can’t wait to get back in front of the big screen.

have you been back to the cinema? what did you see?

+ 4. film stock! film stock! get ya film stock!

did i hear you say, ‘where can i find super 8 film stock?’

well, look no further… we have all four super 8 negative stocks eligible for straight 8 entry - kodak 50d, 200t, and 500t, plus a limited supply of the hard-to-get-your-hands on 250d.

250d is one of our favourite stocks but kodak don’t make it for super 8 so it has to be slit and perfed specially. 250d has the same great colours and daylight balance as kodak 50d but with the extra exposure flexibility of 200t. it has great latitude and looks ace in bright sunlight and in darker conditions.

read about the different super 8 negative stocks on our super 8 film page.

or jump straight to our shop to buy yours!

+ 5. straight 8 survivors. see what the 2021 winners have to say about their experience.

our 2021 competition saw many fantastic entries. after careful deliberation our jury picked their best 8 films.

watch them as they premiered here:

we interviewed the 8 winners to see what tips and ideas they have to share with the rest of us. watch the first three here and follow our instagram to see them as they come out.

and… if you’re starting to feel that straight 8 fever, we wanna see what you got in ya!

go to straight8.net/2022

+ 6. never miss a beat with the indiscreet treat of an incomplete straight 8 cheat sheet

over the years we've picked up a lot of super 8 tips...

we've expanded and reorganised our cheat sheet to be an ever growing super 8 resource.

but - it will never be complete!!

so tell us what you know (or ask us what you want to know) and we'll add it...

or dive straight in here.

+ 7. jury news. le journal du jury du jour.

excuse my french… our jury has been up to some great things. we thought we’d share a little with you.

robbie ryan, dop of the favourite, american honey and marriage story, shot ‘this much i know to be true’ - an exploration of the creative relationship between nick cave and warren ellis, release date may 11th.

mark jenkin is deep in his next project, enys men, a cornish-set horror film. check out his bbc radio 4 podcast from last year where he scouts for locations in an abandoned mine.

and if you haven’t already, be sure to check out mark’s 16mm, hand-processed film, ‘bait,’ available on bfi player. bait is a tale of tensions between the traditional lifestyle of a fishing village and the all-consuming wave of gentrification. it has been described by mark kermode as a ‘genuine modern masterpiece.’ If you need any more convincing…

+ 8. ...and... here's some news and festival opportunities from our friends

two of cinelab's recent projects have just scooped accolades at the bsc awards:

well done to the team behind ‘landscapers,’ based on a seemingly unextraordinary couple that become the focus of a murder investigation, for winning best cinematography in a tv drama at the bsc awards. it is available to watch on now tv.

and congrats too to the london film school filmmakers behind ‘caravan,’ a short film about an outcast in rural england who draws the attention of a vengeful mother, for winning best cinematography in a short film.

bfi flare festival: london lgbtqia+ film festival
is on from 16-27 march! screenings both online and through bfi players

plus... some great short film festivals are open for submissions now. many previous straight8ers have gone on to have wider festival success with their films so if you made a straight 8 2021 film you’re proud of, it might be worth a punt.

london short film festival 2023
early bird deadline april 4th

aesthetica short film festival
with £5000 of cash prizes up for grabs - regular deadline 31st may

encounters film festival
short docs up to 40 mins only - regular deadline march 24th (later deadlines also available)

bfi london film festival
shorts selection open with 9 june deadline

fringe! queer film and arts fest
regular deadline may 15th

and finally, if you're the slightly less competitve type, the next kino short film open mic night in london is coming up march 17th.