Who still manufactures 35mm film, and where are the coating lines located?
Asked 8/30/2018
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I’m trying to understand who actually manufactures 35mm film rather than just selling or rebranding it. Which companies still run film coating lines, and where are those facilities located? I’m mainly interested in mainstream 35mm film production rather than niche specialty products.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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The biggest issue in film manufacture is the cost of keeping a coating line up and running. The capital expenditure requires high volume of coated film to be economical. Creating emulsion is comparatively easy (the big problems were sorted out long ago) and the rest is "just" marketing.
It is therefore common for film "manufacturers" to rent lines from other producers (which makes sense to them as well, as the lines date from earlier times and have capacity to spare, and the big enemy is digital).
As far as I know there are three major film coating lines still going in Europe:
- Ilford in the UK
- Inoviscoat in Germany (former AGFA line, does not have own brand)
- Foma in the Czech Republic
I am unsure whether to consider Ferrania as a film manufacturer or a performer of concept art. But they seem to have a line too.
Overseas Kodak has a line and Fuji have a line.
In Russia there is Tasma and in Ukraine Astrum but it is hard to verify if they are still in business of making new film, or just selling existing stock.
There is rumored to be a line running in China. Hindustani films in India are likely defunct by now.
Originally by user62463. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user62463
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A useful distinction is between brands and actual manufacturers. In film, many brands do not run their own coating lines; they may buy, finish, or repackage film coated by someone else. The expensive part is keeping a film coating line operating, so relatively few true manufacturers remain.
Based on the community answer, the main European 35mm film coating lines still operating were:
- Ilford — United Kingdom
- Inoviscoat — Germany (on a former Agfa line; generally a contract manufacturer rather than a consumer brand)
- Foma — Czech Republic
The answer also notes uncertainty around Ferrania, implying its manufacturing status was unclear at that time.
So if your goal is to know who actually makes 35mm film, focus on companies running coating lines rather than the name on the box. Many film “manufacturers” in stores are effectively brands, while the underlying film may come from one of a small number of coating facilities.
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