Kodak hiring to keep up with demand for 35 mm film

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHAM) — A classic technology is driving new jobs in the United States.

Since the beginning of 2021, Kodak has hired more than 350 people in Rochester, New York, to keep up with the demand for 35 mm film that, according to the company, has exploded over the last few years.

Kodak also has 75 open positions it is looking to fill for this reason. Some of the jobs are meant to replace retiring employees, but about 100 are brand new, created to keep up with film production, according to Nagraj Bokinkere, vice president of industrial films and chemicals at Kodak.

In the last few years, he said the company has quadrupled its film production.

"A few years ago we ran our film finishing factory 40 hours a week. Now we are 24/7. We have increased our capacity four times to meet the demand and we still haven’t caught up with the demand of film," Bokinkere told WHAM. "We know we need to make more film. There is a strong demand; shelves are empty and we need to make more."

Bokinkere said the demand is being driven mostly by photo enthusiasts who are rediscovering film.

Photographer Mark Widman has gone back and forth between film and digital in his lifetime, but enjoys the tangible aspect of shooting with film.

He travels around the world taking pictures on 35 mm film.

It does kind of have a beautiful look that digital has a hard time emulating," Widman said. "It makes you slow down a bit which seems like a cliché but it allows you to slow down; your parameters are a little more set and it kind of makes you think about that next shot a little bit more."

Widman works at Scott's Photo in Rochester, where he has noticed the resurgence of film over the last few years. He said these days, it can be tough to keep film on the shelves.

"We have a lot of shooters ranging 16 to 60 that are going back to film or have never left film and we see them every day come through the store so it is great to see," he said.

Bokinkere said Kodak has been chasing the demand for film for about three years now, and it continues to get stronger.

"It is really gratifying to see. Demand has been much stronger than we expected so it is a good surprise for us but we have always invested in film we continue to invest in film and we will continue to manufacture film as long as there is demand for it," Bokinkere said.