Film is making a massive comeback, and Kodak’s Factory upgrades to keep up. The photography giant just hit pause on its Rochester, New York factory last November 2024 – but don’t worry, your film stocks aren’t going anywhere.
CEO Jim Continenza dropped the news during the company’s latest earnings call, explaining they need to modernize their factory to match the unexpected surge in both motion picture and still film sales. “We’re doing a total shutdown,” Continenza said. “We’ve got to bring light into the dark – and yeah, film is literally made in the dark.”
Kodak saw this coming and ramped up production before the shutdown, so store shelves should stay stocked. It’s a far cry from where they were a few years ago – the company has pulled off quite the turnaround, more than doubling their film production between 2015 and 2019 after digital nearly killed it off.
This revival isn’t just about Hollywood directors like Christopher Nolan, who shot his recent blockbuster “Oppenheimer” on Kodak’s large-format color and black-and-white film. Surprisingly, it’s Gen Z who’s fallen hard for analog photography. These digital natives are ditching their smartphones for the raw authenticity and intentional process that only film can deliver.
During a 2023 earnings call, Continenza made it clear: as long as photographers and filmmakers want film, Kodak’s going to keep making it. With this factory upgrade, they’re putting their money where their mouth is.
The shutdown might seem dramatic, but it’s actually a sign of film photography’s bright future. While the engineers work their magic in Rochester, photographers worldwide can rest easy knowing their favorite medium isn’t just surviving – it’s thriving!
