Kodak is employing technicians for film, claiming a rise in demand

Rochester, New York – The demand for movies is growing. Ask Kodak, a Rochester-based company that acknowledged running its film finishing facility around the clock in order to have adequate workers.

According to Kodak, their Advanced Materials & Chemicals group has added 100 employees and employed 350 since 2021. This division of the corporation is responsible for film finishing and accounts for a quarter of the total revenue.

They further mention that there are now 75 opportunities for operators and experienced trades technicians as of Friday. On-the-job training will be provided, according to Kodak’s VP of Industrial Film & Chemicals Nagraj Bokinkere.

He claims that production has increased by a factor of four as a result of all of this growth put together.

While Hollywood’s motion picture industry has always driven their film production, Bokinkere claims that the present trend was started by fans of still photography film.

“People are starting to explore and experience (film) through the 35-millimeter film format,” Bokinkere said. “It’s I think there is a growing interest in that. And that demand has caught us by surprise.”

According to Bokinkere, the 120mm size, which is more frequently used by professionals, has not increased as quickly as the 35mm format, which is more frequently used by amateurs.

“We’ll continue to invest in film and will continue to manufacture film as long as there is a demand,” Bokinkere said.

Kodachrome, however, won’t be returning. “That is a pretty frequent question,” Bokinkere said. “But we have no plans to introduce Kodachrome.”