I have been asked on several occasions whether it is worth making a 35 mm print for the festival distribution of a short film (or a documentary). I believe the answer is very clear: It is not necessary. There are several reasons that have precipitated the end of 35 mm; let us make a brief summary:
Festivals that traditionally screened in 35 mm now do so in DCP, and increasingly so, from Class A festivals like Cannes, Venice, or Berlin (which have been doing it for several years) to Spanish short film festivals such as Rivas or Cortogenia; the acceptance of DCP by festivals as a substitute for 35 mm is already a reality. In the case of those festivals that do not have the means to support DCP, they are opting to screen using HD digital files. Furthermore, I am encountering cases of festivals that screen in DCP and do not even have a 35 mm option in the theater (for example: this year’s Nantes Spanish Film Festival).
Since October 2011, I have asked many festivals that requested 35 mm prints about their policy regarding the next edition, and all of them, without exception, were moving to digital (they still did not know whether in DCP or HD); one must keep in mind that the highest number of festivals are concentrated in the months of October and November.
Grants already accept the submission of a DCP as an alternative to 35 mm (for example, the Community of Madrid), and the Goya Awards accept the submission of a digital format. Finally, it is no longer necessary to make a 35 mm print as an “obligation” to comply with grant requirements or to be eligible for the Goyas.
At the production level, between the end of 2011 and so far in 2012, we are experiencing the gradual reduction of photochemical departments in the two main laboratories: Technicolor and Deluxe. It will only be maintained in the latter and in Barcelona (where they have sent the negatives), and as if that were not enough, Kodak began the year in bankruptcy.
Regarding quality, DCP (2K) is on par with 35 mm projection and, in certain circumstances, even surpasses it: in digital, the copy does not degrade through screenings, and there are no problems with scratches or dirt on the film, among other advantages.
And if there were any doubt about the disappearance of 35 mm, the cover of the French Cahiers du Cinéma stated it flatly in November 2011: Adieu 35 mm. La révolution numérique est terminée.
Despite this change, there are still some Spanish festivals whose 2012 regulations have been published requesting the 35 mm print as a screening format; these include Cinema Jove de Valencia, the Badajoz Iberian Film Festival, the Mula Festival, and in the case of the Torrelavega Festival, it still maintains one section in 35 mm and another in video. There are other festivals like San Roque or Carabanchel that have screened in 35 mm, but whose regulations were published in 2011. All these festivals will be forced to adapt to digital formats (whether DCP or HD) for 2012 and 2013, as otherwise, practically no short films will be submitted. Internationally, I am not aware of any festival that only admits 35 mm prints for participation.
For all these reasons, the total disappearance of 35 mm as a distribution format could be established within a very specific period: from the second half of 2011—the Goya regulations were published on June 21—to the first half of 2012, —at Madrid en corto we will now only distribute DCP, and Kimuak has also reflected this in its regulations for this year—.
Will it be possible to continue shooting in 35 mm? For the moment, yes, but it will be necessary to scan the negative to transfer it to DCP and obtain a high-quality HD copy.