Side by Side (2012)
To understand the context of Kodak's fall, you need to understand the war it lost. Produced and narrated by Keanu Reeves, this film dives deep into the film-versus-digital debate, but from the perspective of Hollywood. Reeves interviews legendary directors
like Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and David Fincher, getting their candid thoughts on the death of celluloid and the rise of digital filmmaking. While the focus is on cinema, the conversation is universal. It perfectly encapsulates the arguments and anxieties of the early 2010s, when the digital tide became an unstoppable tsunami, leaving companies like Kodak, which dominated the world of film stock, completely submerged. It’s the perfect primer for the entire era.
The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography (2016)
This heartfelt documentary by the legendary Errol Morris is a love letter to a soon-to-be-obsolete technology. Portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman built her career on a rare and massive 20x24 inch Polaroid camera—one of only five in existence. For decades, she created unique, life-sized portraits. The film finds her in her final years of work, as the chemical film she relies on has ceased production. It’s a poignant and personal look at what happens when an artist’s chosen medium disappears. Dorfman’s story is a microcosm of the larger Kodak narrative: a beautiful, tangible process made commercially unviable by the digital revolution. It’s less about corporate failure and more about the deeply personal loss that comes with technological change.
Finding Vivian Maier (2013)
What happens to art when it’s trapped on undeveloped film for decades? This Oscar-nominated documentary tells the unbelievable story of Vivian Maier, a nanny who secretly took over 100,000 street photographs and hid them away in storage lockers. Her stunning work was only discovered by accident in 2007 when a collector, John Maloof, bought a box of her negatives at auction. The film follows Maloof's quest to uncover who this mysterious artist was and share her incredible talent with the world. It’s a story that could only happen in the post-film era, a powerful testament to the forgotten treasures of the analog age and the enduring power of a physical negative.
Bill Cunningham New York (2010)
While Kodak was fumbling its digital future, legendary New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham was simply doing the work. For decades, he rode his bicycle through Manhattan, clad in his signature blue jacket, documenting street style with his trusty 35mm film camera. This joyous documentary captures his infectious passion and unwavering dedication to his craft. Cunningham wasn't precious about technology; he was precious about capturing moments of authentic self-expression. He eventually switched to a digital camera out of necessity, but his process and his eye remained unchanged. His story provides an inspiring counterpoint to Kodak's—a tale not of resisting change, but of proving that the artist's vision, not the tool, is what truly matters.
