A short National Geographic documentary following the final commissioned use of Kodachrome film.
This short documentary follows Steve McCurry as he photographs with what Kodak presented as the last roll of Kodachrome ever produced. The premise is straightforward: a film stock that defined colour photography for decades is reaching the end of its life, and one photographer is asked to use it one final time.
The film doesn’t try to turn this into drama. There’s no countdown, no manufactured tension, and no attempt to create a definitive “last photograph.” Instead, it quietly observes McCurry at work – travelling, photographing people, and doing what he has always done: making careful, composed images without fuss.
What stands out is not the symbolism, but the behaviour. The pace is measured. Frames are chosen deliberately. There’s a sense of consideration that comes naturally when film is treated as finite and valuable. Nothing feels rushed. Nothing feels wasted.
Importantly, the documentary avoids sentimentality. Kodachrome isn’t framed as a relic or a martyr. It’s treated as a working material – loaded, exposed, and respected until it’s gone. The emphasis is on use, not mourning.
Reviews of the film often note this restraint. Rather than trying to summarise Kodachrome’s legacy or elevate the moment into a grand farewell, the documentary keeps its focus narrow: a photographer working carefully with a material that is no longer replaceable.
For film photographers, this is where the film quietly resonates. Not because Kodachrome is special – though it was – but because the process feels familiar. Limited frames. No safety net. Decisions that matter. The documentary doesn’t explain these ideas; it simply shows them.
It’s not instructional, and it isn’t nostalgic for its own sake. It’s a calm record of how photography behaves when materials are finite – and how little that actually changes the act of seeing.
Originally Released: National Geographic
Format: Short documentary film
Focus: Kodachrome film, photographic process, and working with limited materials