HOT DOCS 2025: ‘Spreadsheet Champions’ Excels In Heart

Given that Microsoft Excel is often associated with dull office work, a documentary about teenagers and young adults battling in a Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship for spreadsheet dominance might not sound like the most exciting of film adventures. But in Spreadsheet Champions, director Kristina Kraskov turns this premise into a highly entertaining and heartfelt film about dedication, dreams, and passion.

Among the hundreds of competitors, Kraskov specifically follows six hopeful students as they prepare for the potentially life-changing Excel competition: Mason (15), a proud American nerd; Alkmini (20), a sweet Greek who struggles with anxiety; Braydon (16), an Australian prodigy; Nam (22), a Vietnamese trying to make his mom proud; Carmina (16), a huge One Direction fan and aspiring YouTuber hailing from Guatemala; and De La Paix (19), a lovely young man from Cameroon who mostly trains at school because he doesn’t own a laptop.

Spreadsheet Champions does a great job of presenting all of these competitors; you get to know their personalities, motivations, and fears, as well as the context around them, which is key to helping us understand how their triumph could change their individual lives or even those around them.

They’re all likable in their own distinct ways, and Kraskov makes you genuinely root for them—maybe some more than others. I quickly found myself rooting for both the bubbly Carmina, whose homesickness threatens to sink her chances of victory, and confident De La Parix, who’s aware of the hard work his father has done for him to have this opportunity.

Spreadsheet Champions has all the thrill of a sports movie.

To better understand the significance of the test for competitors and the world, Kraskov examines the history of Excel and its impact on the professional world. The software is the core building block of all businesses and even Artificial Intelligence. By taking the time to explain all of this, the film makes it clear that anyone who masters Excel will have a bright future. The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship might as well be an audition to select the minds with the most potential to shape the future. Consequently, the competition is far from easy.

Throughout the film, Bing, the rigorous test creator, constantly reminds us of the high level of difficulty the students will face. Also, there’s the little fact that the competition is a one-time thing, so this is the students’ only shot at glory. Plus, the fact that a good result might guarantee them a professional future makes the whole thing thrilling. You’ll find yourself rooting even harder for your favorites before, during, and even after the contest as you (and they) impatiently wait for the results.

One of the director’s most impressive achievements is her ability to make Excel sound fun while weaving the human stories of her subjects. Kraskov doesn’t overload the documentary with numbers, data, or Excel formulas, and keeps an entertaining sports movie vibe throughout. On the flip side, it’s a bit disappointing that the film doesn’t truly delve into the actual test.

You might be thoroughly invested in the sports side of it all, but we never get to sink our teeth into the questions and challenges of the actual thing. This issue was probably related to the secretive nature of the test itself, but it’s difficult not to feel that something was missing. It’s as if Rocky had only given you glimpses of the climactic fight.

Fortunately, Spreadsheet Champions has a climactic moment of its own where we get a mix of joy, pride, and crushing disappointment. There are lessons to be learned for everyone involved, and that’s the heart of the film: These kids are going to come out stronger from this, and they might very well be the catalyst for a better future for their community, their country, or the world.

Spreadsheet Champions was part of the Special Presentations program at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2025.