The Resurgence of Film. Why The Future is looking a little more analogue.

There’s something remarkable happening in the industry right now — something many of us who lived through the digital takeover never thought we’d see again.

Film is back.

Not as nostalgia.

Not as a gimmick.

But as a serious, growing choice for filmmakers at every level.

This past summer alone, around seven major productions shot on celluloid in the UK, and globally the momentum is undeniable.

Below, I’m going to break down why we’re seeing this resurgence, what’s driving it, and why — despite everything digital promised — film continues to offer something irreplaceable.

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A Wave of High-Profile Celluloid Productions

In the last year, the UK has hosted a surprising number of film-originated features and globally film is back in vogue:

• Werwulf — 35mm

• The Chronicles of Narnia — 35mm

• Bugonia — VistaVision

• The Brutalist — VistaVision

     .    One Battle After Another - VistaVision

• Sinners — a mix of 65mm and IMAX

• The Odyssey — shot entirely on IMAX.

This isn’t a fluke — it’s a trend.

Particularly the resurgence of large format celluloid systems such as VistaVision, 65mm and IMAX which are riding the coat tails of the increased popularity in audiences going to watch movies on huge IMAX screens which, in turn, is the exhibitors response to the rise in streaming; giving the audiences an experience they cannot get at home from a streaming service.

Studios, directors, cinematographers and even audiences are gravitating back to the look, texture and permanence of film.

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A Note From the Past: When 16mm Was Declared “Dead”

16mm’s comeback is especially remarkable when you remember its history.

In the early 2000s, as digital video arrived, the BBC banned 16mm as an approved acquisition format for drama and documentary. At the time it felt like a death sentence — if the UK’s largest broadcaster refused 16mm, who would keep using it?

Many of us genuinely thought we were witnessing the end of 16mm.

And yet… here we are.

Today, 16mm is thriving:

• Music videos

• Short films

• Fashion films

• Commercials

• Even the occasional feature

Younger filmmakers — raised on digital — are now choosing film precisely because they see it as fresh, distinctive and artistic.

What was once dismissed is now a sought-after aesthetic.

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Film Stocks: A New Era (And A Bit of Healthy Competition)

For the first time in decades, we’re seeing real innovation in film stocks:

ORWO: The First New Motion Picture Stocks in 50 Years

German manufacturer ORWO (formerly part of Agfa) released brand-new motion picture film stocks — their first in half a century.

They were also the first to bring out non-Remjet film stocks, beating Kodak to the punch.

These stocks are already being used on productions. I had the pleasure of testing the 35mm versions of these new film stocks and look forward to seeing how people use them.

Kodak’s New Remjet-less Line

Kodak followed with its own remjet-free offering, opening the door for simpler scanning workflows and new creative applications.

Competition in film stock?

That hasn’t existed since the 1990s — and it’s wonderful to see.

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Cameras: New Tools for a New (Old) Format

Celluloid isn’t just returning — it’s evolving.

Tommy Madsen, the inventor of the Logmar Magellan 65mm film camera (on the left) and his colleague Orla Vestergaard testing the 65mm camera prototype back in 2023.

The Logmar Magellan 65mm

One of the most revolutionary developments is the Logmar Magellan 65mm, the first new motion picture camera released since the Panavision Millennium XL2, Arri 235 and Arri 416 in the early 2000s. I had the pleasure of being involved in the testing of its prototype.

A few key points:

• It weighs only 12kg

• Christopher Nolan used the prototype on Tenet, even hanging it from a drone!

This is a major shift in accessibility.

IMAX’s New Carbon Fibre Blimp

For Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, IMAX developed a brand-new carbon fibre blimp to quiet their famously loud cameras so they could record sync sound.

This is extraordinary — IMAX building new infrastructure specifically to serve filmmakers’ creative needs.

Large-format film is not just alive — it’s evolving.

IMAX camera, encased in its new carbon fibre blimp, being used to record sync sound on the set of The Odyssey.

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Short Films and Music Videos: A Return to Texture

Perhaps the real heartbeat of the resurgence is happening at the lower-budget end of the spectrum:

• Short films

• Music videos

• Fashion content

• Experimental films

These are the arenas where filmmakers can take risks, and we are seeing a noticeable shift back to 16mm, and even some 35mm, because the aesthetic is distinctive and stands out in a digital-saturated world.

When a viewer scrolls past digital content all day, a piece shot on film instantly looks different — more alive, more crafted, more intentional.

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Why This Matters

The resurgence of film isn’t just technical.

It’s cultural.

It represents:

• A desire for tactile filmmaking

• A rejection of digital sameness

• A rediscovery of craft

• A hunger for artistic tools with inherent personality

• A return to formats that demand discipline and elevate performance

Film forces intention.

And intention is what separates good filmmaking from great filmmaking.

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The Future

Digital is here to stay — and rightly so. It is flexible, efficient, and essential.

But film is no longer the endangered species it was once thought to be.

It is becoming what it always deserved to be:

A premium artistic choice that stands on its own merits.

With new cameras, new stocks, innovative blimps, and an entire generation discovering film for the first time, the future looks bright — and beautifully grainy.

Mark

You can view an excerpt from the tests I shot with the new ORWO motion picture films stocks here (ORWO 35mm NC500 rated at 400 ASA, Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2, 27mm Primo lens. T2.8. Mixed Tungsten and daylight lighting): https://vimeo.com/931389343