Spreadsheet Champions: Inside the Wild World of Competitive Excel

Right, stick with me here because I’m about to tell you about the most brilliantly bonkers documentary you’ll watch in 2025. Remember when you thought pivot tables were the height of spreadsheet excitement? Well, prepare to have your mind absolutely blown.

Melbourne filmmaker Kristina Kraskov has done something properly genius: she’s turned the world of competitive Microsoft Excel into edge-of-your-seat entertainment. And before you scroll past thinking “you’re having a laugh, mate” that’s exactly what Kraskov thought when she first stumbled across this bizarre subculture six years ago.

From “What The Hell?” to “Must-Watch”: The Birth of Spreadsheet Champions

When Kraskov first read about an international Microsoft Excel competition, she had the same reaction most of us would: pure disbelief. But that disbelief quickly turned into fascination, leading her to create “Spreadsheet Champions” a documentary following six competitors as they prepare for the Microsoft Office Specialist world championship in Florida.

Having spent countless hours debugging Excel formulas myself (usually while muttering colourful language at my screen), I can’t help but marvel at these spreadsheet virtuosos. They’re the Olympic athletes of office software, only swapping running tracks for rapid-fire function keys.

Meet the Excel Warriors

The documentary introduces us to six competitors who’d make your office’s Excel guru look like an absolute amateur. These aren’t just people who can knock up a decent pivot table they’re proper champions who can crunch numbers faster than you can say “VLOOKUP”.

What makes this film particularly brilliant is how Kraskov captures the human stories behind the screens. These competitors might be fighting for glory in the most corporate of arenas, but their passion and dedication are genuinely moving. Trust me, you’ll never look at your spreadsheet the same way again.

A Director’s Eye for the Unusual

If anyone could make competitive spreadsheeting compelling, it’s Kraskov. This is the same director who brought us “Party in the Back,” a documentary about a mullet festival (yes, really). She has a knack for finding the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary, and with “Spreadsheet Champions,” she’s struck documentary gold.

FAQ: Your Excel-lent Questions Answered

What exactly is the Microsoft Office Specialist world championship?

It’s a legitimate global competition where participants showcase their Microsoft Office skills, with Excel being one of the main events. Competitors solve complex spreadsheet challenges against the clock, with cash prizes and international glory up for grabs.

Where can I watch Spreadsheet Champions?

The documentary is releasing in select cinemas across the UK in August 2025, followed by streaming platform availability in September. Keep an eye on your local independent cinema listings!

Is competitive Excel really that exciting to watch?

Surprisingly, yes! The film captures the tension, drama, and personal stories that make any great sports documentary compelling. Plus, there’s something oddly satisfying about watching someone absolutely demolish a spreadsheet challenge in record time.

The Bottom Line

In a world where we’ve got competitions for everything from cheese rolling to toe wrestling, maybe competitive Excel isn’t so strange after all. “Spreadsheet Champions” proves that passion, dedication, and drama can be found in the most unexpected places even in those little cells we spend our workdays cursing at.

Whether you’re a formula fanatic or can barely sort a column, this documentary is set to be one of 2025’s most unexpectedly engaging watches. Who knows? It might even inspire you to up your Excel game. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to practice my INDEX MATCH functions…