NFI Filmlab, Budapest, 2021. Photo: FIAF

Global Directory of All Professional Photochemical Film Labs

As methods of film preservation have shifted from analogue to digital over the last two decades, the number of film laboratories still providing analogue film services has declined sharply. But despite the continued growth in the use of digital methods of restoration and preservation, film processing and printing remains essential for film-to-film preservation work, independent filmmakers’ artistic practices, and occasional studio and smaller film releases on 35mm and 70mm.

Initial efforts to compile a global list of professional photochemical film laboratories began in 2013. A first list was assembled and published on the FIAF website from a range of sources and drew on the contributions of numerous members of the international film archive community, including the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) Film Advocacy Task Force, Kodak, Rachael Stoeltje, Shahed Dowlatshahi, and various FIAF affiliates. In the years following, the list was continuously maintained and updated by Christophe Dupin and Brian Meacham, ensuring its relevance as the field evolved.

In 2026, FIAF and the newly created Photochemical Film Labs Collective joined forces to create an updated Global Directory of All Professional Photochemical Film Labs that is replacing FIAF’s list. For this purpose, the FIAF Technical Commission and the Collective conducted a comprehensive survey aimed at identifying all operational laboratories worldwide and gathering information on available workflows, techniques, and equipment. The survey results revealed a significant decline in active photochemical laboratories; from approximately 149 active labs in 2020 to fewer than 50 in 2026. These results clearly underline the importance of strengthening connections within the community to ensuring continued access to photochemical expertise and infrastructure.

The new Directory can be found on the Photochemical Film Labs Collective website: 

Note that you can also find a global list of all artist-run film labs at www.filmlabs.org. 

Rather than taking the original FIAF list offline, we decided that it should remain accessible online as a valuable historical resource, documenting the evolution of the photochemical film laboratories network over the last 15 years. You can find it below, but please note that it is no longer updated.

List of All Photochemical Film Labs Operating in the World

(This is a closed database - still accessible for historical reference only)