The last place in the world to process Kodachrome may have stopped developing it, but there are still fans who want to give the iconic film a proper send-off.
DreamWorks studio has announced it will produce a new movie surrounding the demise of Kodachrome,which was officially discontinued in 2009. The film’s script will be written by author Jonathan Tropper, who pitched the idea to DreamWorks after being inspired by New York Times article in December.
The film’s plot will reportedly center on a father and son who take a road trip to Dwayne’s Photo in Kansas in an effort to develop their memories before the processing center finally ceases production. No title or production schedule was released on the movie, though Shawn Levy (‘Night at the Museum,’ ‘Date Night’) has been mentioned as a possible director.
Manufactured by Eastman Kodak for nearly 75 years, Kodachrome was one of the most commercially successful films of the mid-20th century and was popular among photojournalists because of its vibrant colors and durability.
However, after declining sales and the increasing trend toward digital, Kodak decided to discontinue the film in 2009. Up until January of this year, Dwayne’s Photo was the last place on the planet able to process the film, and the shop made headlines after being bombarded by photographers from all over the world scrambling for a last chance to develop their photos. Sounds like a great background for a feature film.
One of the photographers to develop his film at Dwayne’s was Steve McCurry, who is most famous for his ‘Afghan Girl,’ which National Geographic called “the most recognized photograph” in the history of the magazine. You can read about McCurry’s adventure with the very last roll of Kodachrome ever produced here.
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No, Dwayne's Photo has not shuttered their doors. They just stopped processing Kodachrome. And despite the fact that we all loved it and the song it inspired, collectively we weren't buying and using enough of it to be economically practical during the last few years.
Dwayne's still does a great job processing current films and they are a pretty good place to send older films too.