Just when we thought film was dead—buried under layers of pixels and algorithms—it comes roaring back to life. In a world where digital dominates, where perfection is manufactured in milliseconds, the imperfect, tangible, and deliberate nature of film is finding its way into the hands of a new generation.

But why? Why are millennials and Gen Z, raised on instant gratification, endless scrolling, and infinite storage, embracing a format that forces them to pay, wait, select, and think before they shoot? And why does this matter beyond just a quirky trend?

The Market Speaks: Film is No Longer a Relic

We love a good comeback story, but this one isn’t just nostalgia-fueled wishful thinking. The numbers back it up.

a young woman taking a picture with a film camera of a cat in a sun lit living room
No such a rare occurrence, even in our digital first world.

Film production, which collapsed from 960 million rolls in 2003 to a ghostly 7.2 million in 2015, has rebounded to 32 million rolls annually, growing at 15-20% per year. The global photographic film market is expected to hit $4.02 billion by 2031, proving that this isn’t just some retro fad but a rebuilding industry.

At the high end, Leica sold 10 times more film cameras in 2023 than in 2015, a staggering number for a company whose cameras cost as much as a used car.

At the same time, the instant camera market—led by Fujifilm Instax—is exploding, proving that film is not just for the elite.

Fujifilm’s Instax business is on track to surpass $960 million in sales in 2024, breaking records for four consecutive years.

The Polaroid market is projected to nearly double by 2031, growing at an 8.3% CAGR.

So what’s going on?

Film’s Real Appeal: It Forces You to Feel

Photography has always been about the physical—the click of a shutter, the texture of a print, the weight of a camera in your hands. Digital stole that.

Think about it: music went digital, and vinyl came back. Books went digital, and bookstores survived. Film follows the same rule—when an art form loses its physicality, people find ways to bring it back.

Film isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about experience. It forces photographers to slow down, commit to a shot, and let go of control. It brings back an element of surprise and imperfection that digital erased in its obsession with instant perfection.

And then there’s sharing.

Photography is an experience shared

In the digital world, sharing is instant—but distant. And blind. A photo uploaded is a photo forgotten, lost in the infinite scroll of someone else’s feed. Who knows who sees it, or how they perceive it? Sharing online also brings a lot of anxiety, as it becomes a competitive, public value judgment on the author.

Film changes that dynamic. You can’t just “share” a film photo online the second you take it. Instead, you hand it to someone you select—someone physically present. You pass around a print, not a screen. You watch their reaction as they see it for the first time—not through likes or comments, but in real life, right in front of you. The feedback is immediate and organic, yet the environment remains controlled, free from the stigmas of social validation.

This is also why instant cameras have found new popularity. They bring the personal, tactile nature of photography—letting people hold a print in their hands, share it in the moment, or preserve it in a book. With instant cameras, taking a picture isn’t just about capturing content; it’s about creating a meaningful interaction. Photography is an experience shared.

Digital Perfection vs. Analog Imperfection

We live in an era where every digital image is algorithmically polished. iPhones smooth out skin. Instagram adjusts contrast automatically. AI can replace a boring sky with a sunset that never happened.

Film is the antithesis of that.

With film, what you capture is what you get. No editing. No filters. No second chances. The grain, the blur, the slight misfocus—it all adds character. Digital strives for perfection, but film reminds us that sometimes, imperfection is what makes a photo great.

The Future of Film: A Split Market

If the numbers tell us anything, it’s this: film isn’t just surviving; it’s evolving.

We’re seeing two parallel worlds emerge:

The luxury, high-end film market (Leica, Contax, Hasselblad), where film is a status symbol, clearly identifying a person of means (especially if it’s a Leica), of free time (to learn, to take, to wait for results)—a deliberate, visible commitment to slowness and craftsmanship.

The mass-market instant camera boom (Fujifilm Instax, Polaroid), where the film is about now, fun, spontaneity, and social connection. It’s like digital—but physical.

Both sides of the market prove the same thing: Film is about social interaction, in person.

It’s not about what’s easier, faster, or cheaper—it’s about what feels more human.

The Weight of a Photograph

Maybe the real reason film photography refuses to die is because we still need to hold our memories in our hands.

Digital made photography weightless—instantly accessible, infinitely replicable, effortlessly forgettable. Film gives photography weight again—physically, emotionally, financially. Every shot matters. Every photo takes up space. Every image has permanence.

And in an era where everything is fleeting, maybe that’s exactly what we need.

Film Isn’t Coming Back—It’s Already Here

This isn’t just a trend. This is a reclamation of something we lost when photography became digital, disposable, and distant.

Film isn’t replacing digital—but it’s reminding us what photography is essentially about.

And that? That’s worth keeping alive.

 

Main opening image : Photo by Chase Yi/Unsplash

Author: Paul Melcher

Paul Melcher is a highly influential and visionary leader in visual tech, with 20+ years of experience in licensing, tech innovation, and entrepreneurship. He is the Managing Director of MelcherSystem and has held executive roles at Corbis, Gamma Press, Stipple, and more. Melcher received a Digital Media Licensing Association Award and has been named among the “100 most influential individuals in American photography”

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