Five Years in 8mm (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Five Years in 8mm is a six-minute documentary filmed in nostalgic Super-8 style. Cody Stickels documents their gender transition within New York City’s queer community, presenting a personal story shaped by pain, joy and solidarity with young trans and non-binary people.

Five Years in 8mm is a short documentary directed by Cody Stickels. Running for six minutes, it uses a home-movie-style Super-8 approach to document the director’s gender transition within New York City’s queer community.

The film connects personal experience with a broader expression of care for young trans and non-binary people. Its supplied synopsis describes joy as a radical response to pain, giving the documentary an intimate and affirming focus.

Five Years in 8mm movie details

Story without spoilers

The documentary follows Cody Stickels’ gender transition through footage presented in a nostalgic Super-8, home-movie style. Set within the director’s NYC queer community, it traces a personal experience while emphasizing the relationships and sense of belonging surrounding it.

Rather than presenting transition only through difficulty, the film places joy at the center of its perspective. It is also framed as a love letter to young trans and non-binary people, keeping its focus personal, communal and supportive without revealing specific scenes or developments.

What to expect

Viewers can expect a concise, personal documentary built around Super-8 imagery and a home-movie aesthetic. The six-minute runtime suggests a compact presentation rather than an expansive account, while the premise points to an intimate connection between gender transition, queer community and emotional resilience.

The film’s tone is presented through its focus on nostalgia, joy and solidarity. No additional details about its structure, score, editing or visual treatment are supplied.

Cast and creative team

Five Years in 8mm is directed by Cody Stickels, who is also the subject of the documentary’s account of gender transition. No cast or writer credits are supplied.

Release and production context

Five Years in 8mm is a 2026 documentary with a runtime of six minutes. It is listed as released on August 29, 2026, and its spoken language is English. No country, production company or additional production information is provided.

Movies Dock view

With its brief runtime and personal Super-8 format, Five Years in 8mm presents a focused documentary portrait of transition and queer community. Its stated dedication to young trans and non-binary people gives the film a clear emotional and social point of view while keeping the story rooted in the director’s own experience.

Film data:
TMDB