Eastman Kodak has temporarily ceased all film production at its Rochester, New York factory as the company seeks to modernize the facility.
During a Q3 2024 quarterly earnings call on November 13, Eastman Kodak’s CEO Jim Continenza revealed that the move is so that the company is better equipped to deal with the increased demand for film.
“We’re doing a shutdown in November, total shutdown,” Continenza said on the call. “We’ve continued to invest in our manufacturing process, while we need to shut down completely to bring light into the dark, right? Film is made in the dark.”
Kosmo Foto reports that Kodak increased production in recent months so the shutdown doesn’t affect stock.
“In November, we will be modernizing the plant, putting more investment within that, which has also caused us to use more cash in the quarter to build up inventories while we do this,” Continenza continues.
“But as we continue to see our commitment and our customer commitment to film, still in motion picture, we are going to continue to invest in that space and continue with that growth.”
Last year, Continenza said that Eastman Kodak will continue to manufacture film as long as there is demand for it. Fortunately, there is plenty of it: Kodak put a call out to hire film technicians in 2022 after declaring, “We cannot keep up with demand.”
Continenza mentioned the company’s “massive, large apprentice program” in the earnings call last week.
“I was just up in Rochester, and we have a massive, large apprentice program, four years of training and learning and dedication,” Continenza said.
“And watching them graduate and come into our workforce full time and highly skilled, I’m so proud of them that made it through because it’s a hard thing to do, right, as we continue to increase jobs.”
Film Revival
Kosmo Foto notes that after years of decline caused by digital photography, demand for film doubled between 2015 and 2019. Younger shooters, in particular, are falling in love with the archaic analog process.
If you’re interested in film photography, then why not check out PetaPixel’s recent guide to the best budget 35mm film cameras in 2024.
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