I was working in the photography industry when digital photography started appearing and, at first like so many things, we laughed it off as a bit of a fad. There was a serious lack of affordability, with new cameras that were only really available to the richer amongst us, plus the quality of photos – with small pixel rates – weren’t great unless you were literally just looking at them on your tiny camera screen, and I’m talking phone-size and barely any chance for being bigger. Obviously that changed, 35mm film started to die out a little and Polaroid, believe it or not, barely existed as digital took over.

This new trailer for An Impossible Project, from Jens Meurer, is a documentary that delves into recent changes in digital and analogue, looks really interesting. Following Florian ‘Doc’ Kaps, an eccentric, enigmatic Viennese biologist who risks his career and fortune to save the world’s last Polaroid factory – and I remember hearing about this at the time!

It promises to celebrate all things analogue is an antidote to digital. Described as a ‘warm and witty’ celebration of a counter-revolution, and the comeback of analogue, the film is set for a UK premiere from Bohemia Media. Here’s something I love to hear, and the trailer is just below, and if you want a new Polaroid that’s superb, head right here:

In the world we live in, sometimes a digital download or an image on a screen just isn’t enough – we’re missing physical connection. We need to hold and feel to connect, awaken our senses and evoke our emotions. Digital has taken over our lives, from the constant buzz of phone notifications to social-media stories that disappear forever and millions of photos stored on our devices rather than taking pride of place on the mantelpiece. We have apps for everything, from fitness to baking and even for sleeping. We’re reading e-books, streaming, sharing, posting – this is our reality. It’s time for a reset.

An Impossible Project is shot on 35mm and with an amazing live orchestra score will premiere on “virtual cinema” platform, YourScreen (https://yourscreen.net/) now and On Digital Platforms from 15 March 2021 then in cinemas at a later date, once *everything* hopefully settles down…