On June 14, 2018, the television program Het Uur van de Wolf aired filmmaker Willem Baptist’s documentary Instant Dreams about the visionary genius of Dr. Edwin H. Land, who introduced the Polaroid camera in 1948. The film also follows the people keeping this “instant dream” alive.
In the digital age of Instagram and razor-sharp smartphone photos, the Polaroid picture remains popular. What is the magic of this now old-fashioned technique? Is it the image slowly appearing, the unpredictable colors, or the fact that each photograph is unique?
Inventor Edwin Land took the secret of his creation to the grave. Scientists have since searched for the magical chemical formula behind Polaroid. A driving force is retired chemist Stephen Herchen, who previously worked with Land. Since the last factory closed, he has looked for ways to put the technology back into production.
Herchen is not the only enthusiast. German artist Stefanie Schneider shot one of her last sessions on original Polaroid film in the California desert—her remaining supply filled just one refrigerator. Schneider uses the fading caused by expired film as an additional aesthetic layer in her work.
Christopher Bonanos, author of the book Instant: The Story of Polaroid, said: “When I heard that Polaroid would stop making film, it felt as if a good friend had died.” He tries to improve his relationship with his young son using the last instant film, while a Japanese girl in Tokyo discovers the magic of Polaroid for the first time. These four people’s lives are connected by their fascination with and love for Polaroid instant film.
Willem Baptist created an ambitious visual essay with an evocative soundtrack and hypnotic, expressive imagery. Archival material, interviews, and chemical reactions come together in a roller coaster of color and light. The film premiered at IDFA in 2017.
Het Uur van de Wolf: Instant Dreams
Broadcast: Thursday, June 14, 2018, at 10:55 p.m. on NTR, NPO 2
Watch the trailer for An Ode to the Polaroid Photo.
