35mm film will live on thanks to Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, and J.J. Abrams

Last sumer, we reported on a campaign by prominent Hollywood directors like J.J. Abrams, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow, and Martin Scorsese to save 35mm film from the vinegar-scented clutches of technological oblivion. Now, in a testament to the power of celebrity, IndieWire reports that the campaign has been successful and all six major Hollywood studios have made agreements with Kodak to buy a specific undisclosed amount of 35mm film stock every year from now until basically forever. “With the support of the studios, we will continue to provide motion picture film, with its unparalleled richness and unique textures, to enable filmmakers to tell their stories and demonstrate their art,” Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke says.

Film bought under this agreement will generate enough revenue to keep Kodak’s motion-picture film division, whose business has declined by an astounding 96 percent over the last decade, open, albeit in diminished form. The question now is whether anyone but major film studios will able to afford to purchase the now-boutique product of 35mm film, or if shooting on celluloid will be a luxury reserved only for the rich and famous. You know, like gift suites or getting out of speeding tickets.