Film is back and the superior artistry of shooting on real film became clear once again at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, which closed Sunday, with four of the top prizes and two La Semaine de la Critique awards presented to official selections shot on Kodak film.

Taking home the coveted Palme d’Or was I, Daniel Blake (Director Ken Loach / DP Robbie Ryan), shot on Kodak 35mm. The Grand Prix award was taken home by Juste la Fin du Monde (It’s Only the End of the World), shot on Kodak35mm by director Xavier Dolan (DP André Turpin). Best Director went to Personal Shopper, shot on Kodak 35mm (Director Olivier Assayas / DP Yorick Le Saux).  Taking home Critique awards were Las Mimosas, shot on Kodak S16mm (Director Olivier Laxe / DP Mauro Herce) and Albüm, shot on Kodak 35mm (Director Mehmet Can Mertoǧlu / DP Marius Panduru).

Winning the prestigious Jury Prize was American Honey (director Andrea Arnold), partially shot on Kodak 35mm, making DP Robbie Ryan a two-time festival winner!  Noted Ryan, “We shot a few scenes on Kodak 200t 35mm, the beginning scene and sporadic scenes like her on the swing … [and] they are my favourite shots!”

Also among the 12 official selections shot on film at the festival were also such well-received showings (both shot on Kodak 35mm) as Loving (Director Jeff Nichols / DP Adam Stone), which enjoyed a seven-minute standing ovation; and Chloe Sevigny’s much-lauded, directorial debut, the short Kitty (DP Seamus McGarvey), which closed the festival and was called a “Cannes hidden gem” by The Hollywood Reporter.  “Some things you just don’t bend on. I always dreamed of shooting on 35mm,” she told Vanity Fair magazine.

Many of Hollywood’s most notable filmmakers recognize the differentiating artistry of  film and continue to shoot on 16mm, 35mm and 65mm, including  JJ Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens ), Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs), Kenneth Branagh (Cinderella),  Joel & Ethan Coen (Hail, Caesar!), Andrew Haigh (45 Years), Todd Haynes (Carol), Adam McKay (The Big Short), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave),  Sam Mendes (Spectre), László Nemes (Son of Saul), Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), Naji Abu Nowar (Theeb), David O. Russell (Joy), Zack Snyder (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies) and Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), among many more.  Among the popular television series that shoot on film are AMC’s The Walking Dead (Cinematographer Michael E. Satrazemis) and FX’s American Horror Story (Cinematographer Michael Goi).

Kodak is also a long standing supporter of emerging filmmakers with a variety of programs supporting film students and other new talent  … Recent micro budget movies shot on 35mm film by emerging filmmakers (with Kodak’s support) include JT Mollner’s Outlaws and Angels (Luke Wilson, Chad Michael Murray), Dennis Hauck’s Too Late (Robert Forster, John Hawkes), Ted Marcus’s Like Lambs (Liam Aiken, Justin Chon), Ti West’s In a Valley Of Violence (John Travolta, Ethan Hawke) and Joe Swanberg’s Digging for Fire (Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson). 

Please let me know if you are interested in speaking about the artistry of shooting on film and the medium’s expanding resurgence in Hollywood and other film communities around the world with STEVE BELLAMY, President of Motion Picture and Entertainment, Consumer and Film Division, Eastman Kodak Company.