{"id":285735,"date":"2026-02-11T12:40:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/285735\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T12:40:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:40:21","slug":"eastman-kodak-the-gold-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/285735\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastman Kodak: The Gold Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article appears in American Cinematographer<\/a>‘s <\/a>February 2026 issue<\/a>. An expanded version of the story \u2014 featuring commentaries from cinematographers Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC; Michael Goi, ASC, ISC; Hoyte van Hoytema, ASC, FNF, NSC; and Drew Daniels \u2014 is available to AC’s print and digital subscribers, and to readers purchasing copies of the issue on newsstands or at the ASC Store<\/a>. For full access to our archive, which includes more than 105 years of essential motion-picture production coverage, become a subscriber today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The timing couldn\u2019t be better for Eastman Kodak Co. to receive the Curtis Clark ASC Technical Achievement Award. Movies shot on Kodak film have won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography the last two years: The Brutalist, shot by Lol Crawley, ASC, BSC, and Oppenheimer (AC Oct. \u201923), shot by Hoyte van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, NSC. And cinematographer Drew Daniels shot last year\u2019s Best Picture winner, Anora (AC Dec. \u201924), on 35mm Kodak film. <\/p>\n

Kodak has also played a key role in the recent larger-format revival that has bolstered theatrical exhibition. This trend is exemplified by this year\u2019s Academy Awards Cinematography shortlist contenders One Battle After Another (AC Nov. \u201925), shot by Michael Bauman, and Sinners (AC June \u201925), shot by Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC. <\/p>\n

The company recently redesigned its signature Vision3 motion-picture color negative with the improved, environmentally conscious Anti-Halation Undercoat (AHU). And from a financial perspective, Kodak Motion Picture\u2019s revenue has risen 35 percent since 2023, and they foresee a significant increase in 35mm sales this year. <\/p>\n

\nA 70mm print frame from the sci-fi drama ‘Interstellar,’ shot by Hoyte van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, NSC. (Photo by Tor Rolf Johansen.)<\/p>\n

Kodak reports that 200 features were shot on film in 2025, including some that were still in production at press time. Such titles currently in release include Bugonia, shot by Robbie Ryan, BSC, ISC (AC Dec. \u201925); Die My Love, shot by Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC (see page 24); Jay Kelly, shot by Linus Sandgren, ASC, FSF; Marty Supreme, shot by Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC (AC Jan. \u201926); The Smashing Machine, shot by Maceo Bishop; and The Testament of Ann Lee, shot by William Rexer, ASC. <\/p>\n

Last year, Kodak even supplied 35mm print film for release prints of features shot digitally, including Frankenstein, shot by Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF (AC Dec. \u201925).<\/p>\n

\nA strip of nitrate stock, an emulsion used from the beginning of motion pictures through the middle of the 20th century.<\/p>\n

Investing and Expanding<\/p>\n

\u201cThis special acknowledgment from the ASC is testimony to the importance and relevance of film today,\u201d says Vanessa Bendetti, Kodak\u2019s vice president and head of motion picture. \u201cFilm is an essential part of visual storytelling and the theatrical experience, and Kodak continues to invest in its manufacturing infrastructure and products to support and grow the medium. It\u2019s the gold standard and often the primary reference for motion pictures. Whether an artist ultimately captures on film or not, in all probability they\u2019re looking to emulate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nCompany founder George Eastman with inventor Thomas Edison.
\nA splitting machine for motion-picture film.
\nTechnicians examine a large piece of underexposed, developed color negative at the Kodak Film Factory.<\/p>\n

To keep up with growing demand for film negative, Kodak is expanding its lab services, and others are also reinvesting in the photochemical ecosystem. \u201cWe\u2019re supporting industry partners who are opening labs in underserved markets,\u201d Bendetti says. \u201cBy the middle of 2026, there should be at least two new labs in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the company\u2019s recent redesign of the Vision3 emulsion, she says, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of silver in the Anti-Halation Undercoat, and it\u2019s not less complex. But [its predecessor] remjet was just a messy substance. It was a remarkable achievement for Kodak\u2019s film-design team to develop a way around it, and it offers improvement to Vision3. We get to reduce water consumption and energy, and there will be cleaner results through the labs.\u201d (For more on this Vision3 redesign, see Tools of the Trade, AC Sept. \u201925).<\/p>\n

\nDirector Pablo Larra\u00edn (far left) and cinematographer Ed Lachman, ASC (at camera) prepare a shot on the set of ‘Maria.’ (Photo courtesy of Netflix.)
\nActor-director Bradley Cooper; cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS; and actor Carey Mulligan on the set of ‘Maestro.’ (Photo courtesy of Netflix.)<\/p>\n

Larger Format<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Kodak continues to meet the audience\u2019s appetite for larger-format filmmaking. \u201cThere\u2019s significant growth in our business right now, and there\u2019s opportunity on the exhibition side, in addition to capture, that I\u2019m really excited about. With 70mm and Imax in particular, there\u2019s been a growth spurt in \u2018event\u2019 film screenings \u2014 and Imax continues to support film capture with their film cameras, like they\u2019ve done for Chris Nolan and Ryan Coogler. Although film is a small percentage of Imax\u2019s total footprint, I understand it drives significant box office for the company, so they\u2019re incentivized to support film, and they\u2019re great partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet there are challenges with manufacturing 65mm film while keeping up with 35mm and 16mm projects. \u201cFor example, this year we doubled our 65mm finishing capacity to keep pace with The Odyssey, Dune: Part 3, and another show that was shooting 65mm that I can\u2019t speak about just yet,\u201d says Bendetti.<\/p>\n

For The Odyssey, which will open in July 2026, Christopher Nolan and van Hoytema became the first filmmakers to use Imax\u2019s next-generation 65mm cameras. This also marks the first narrative theatrical release to be shot entirely with Imax 65mm cameras. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe provide Imax with film stock for their extensive camera tests, and their engineers confer with our film-design and film-finishing teams whenever they need to,\u201d says Bendetti. \u201cI think the purpose of the new 65mm Imax cameras is to expand their fleet; allow more filmmakers to use them; and make the camera a quieter, more dialogue-friendly piece of machinery. There\u2019s clear demand for the on-film experience, and additional cameras will help to feed that pipeline. <\/p>\n

\nVanessa Bendetti, Kodak’s vice president and head of motion picture.<\/p>\n

Denis Villeneuve\u2019s Dune: Part 3, shot by Linus Sandgren, ASC, FSF and set for a December 2026 release, will feature some sequences captured on 15-perf Imax and 5-perf 65mm, the first use of film-capture for that franchise. \u201cLinus has shot the new AHU stock on Dune,\u201d Bendetti adds. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Odyssey was shot with older remjet stock because they started production prior to our commercialization of AHU in 65mm. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnything involving the film ecosystem, we strive to support \u2014 with Imax, regional labs, or others investing in cameras and film workflow.\u201d <\/p>\n

VistaVision Returns <\/p>\n

The revival of VistaVision has also made moviegoing an event. Last year, Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s One Battle After Another (AC Nov. \u201925) was exhibited with upgraded VistaVision horizontal projectors in select metropolitan markets, and the format returns this year in Emerald Fennell\u2019s Wuthering Heights, shot by Sandgren, and Alejandro G. I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s Digger, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC. The Brutalist was shot in VistaVision as well. \u201cI think there\u2019s an appreciation for the image fidelity, the immersive experience that the VistaVision image creates,\u201d Bendetti says. \u201cOn top of that, filmmakers are artisans, and they want to expand their toolbox. <\/p>\n

\nRobbie Ryan, BSC, ISC dollies with actor Emma Stone for a dance sequence in ‘Poor Things.’ (Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe infrastructure for VistaVision is challenged, but there\u2019s a lot of interest in the format right now, so I expect it will continue to get better,\u201d she continues. \u201cThe film medium is more organic and tactile, and VistaVision hearkens back to the types of movies that filmmakers often reference. The desire to use the same tools that were used before really favors film, and it\u2019s helping to sustain and grow the medium. And it\u2019s just really hard to match what that format looks like, especially projected in VistaVision!\u201d <\/p>\n

Images courtesy of Eastman Kodak Co., unless otherwise noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This article appears in American Cinematographer‘s February 2026 issue. An expanded version of the story \u2014 featuring commentaries…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285736,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[7270,437,434,435,436,2701,4508,4518,1259,438,4407,146245,146,878,85,46,14424,78777,69434,790,30196,21044,2797],"class_list":["post-285735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-academy","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-award","tag-class","tag-color","tag-company","tag-design","tag-development","tag-eastman","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-kodak","tag-merit","tag-motion","tag-negative","tag-scientific","tag-shot","tag-technical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}