Kimberly Snyder
President and General Manager
Entertainment and Commercial Films Group
Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company

The proliferation of independent films over the past several years has been an encouraging trend in the entertainment industry. Filmmakers who operate outside of the major Hollywood studios supply a large number of the feature film titles screened in U.S. cinemas. For movie-goers, this means a plethora of unique, compelling stories to enjoy. And as these stories reach viewers through an expanding array of platforms, there will be some amazing opportunities for exploring new content.

If you look beyond the hype, you would find many of the recently celebrated indies originated on film. Independent movies shot on film are having highly successful runs at the box-office. In 2011, the top five grossing indie films in limited release were all shot on film. Indies originating on film didn’t just make an impact at ticket counters; they earned critical praise and the industry’s top awards. You might recognize some of these titles—The Artist, Midnight in Paris, The Descendents, The Tree of Life, My Week with Marilyn, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Pariah, and the list goes on.

 

The 65th Festival de Cannes is set to begin May16. This small, seaside town has hosted the worldwide premieres of many of the most-celebrated feature films in history, including this year’s Oscar®-winning Best Picture, The Artist .

Kodak is proud to have a long history and presence at the Cannes International Film Festival, which is evident once again when you look at the titles in this year’s main competition. Over half the movies selected for competition this year were shot on Kodak film.

 

The benefits of film are well known, and with today's complex world of digital formats and fast-paced camera obsolescence, film remains a superior medium for capture, display and archiving. Just a few months ago, we introduced the newest member of our VISION3 family and this year we'll launch a new platform of preservation films. These are just a couple of the many examples of Kodak's innovation in advancing film technology. ARRI is also "actively developing new technology that will help get the best out of film and preserve as much of our cinematic history as possible."

In the current issue of ARRI News, ARRI reaffirms that the company is committed to supporting and advancing film-based systems "for the next ten years at the very least." And we are proud to stand with them.

Kimberly Snyder
President and General Manager
Entertainment and Commercial Films Group
Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company

For our loyal filmmaking community, I wanted to take a moment to address the latest news from Kodak.

Firstly, everyone at Kodak, and particularly those within our Entertainment Imaging team, greatly appreciates the support we have received from our partners in the industry since the announcement that Kodak filed for Chapter 11 reorganization.

Here's a sneak peek of the award winning films to be screened in the Kodak Showcase on February 2 at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (4:00 - 6:00 pm at the Salle Georges COCHON Theatre). The Showcase features the winning student films from the Worldwide Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition and the winning film from the Golden Tadpole, Plus Camerimage, The International Festival of the Art of Cinematography. The Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition is open to students and recent graduates from around the world. The contest is designed to recognize the creativity and talent of student cinematographers in the collaborative process of visual storytelling. For the third consecutive year, the John Bailey, ASC (The Big Miracle, Ordinary People) judged the entries.