GRAFX: 35MM Graphic-Overlay Film

The first three series of GRAFX—a new line of analog 35mm graphic-overlay films featuring pre-exposed artwork burned directly onto the film stock—are available now. Simply take your photos, and when the film is developed, the graphics will appear as part of the final images.

Ready for use in any 35mm film camera, each roll of GRAFX contains 24 exposures of 400 ISO, C-41 color 35mm film. Depending on your composition, lighting and camera, the effect can range from subtle to striking; while every roll starts the same, each one comes out a little different.

Each design is uniquely named, packaged and issued under its own series number. The first three designs available now are: 

Series #35001 Sparkler: Small starbursts are scattered across the film surface, adding a twinkly bit of magic to each of your photos.

Series #35002 Hot Ink: A continuous border running along the top and bottom of the film, inspired by bold blackwork and '90s tribal tattoos.

Series #35003 Shattered: A spiderwebbing series of cracks (sourced from a dropped iPhone) covering the entire surface of the film.

Fan-favorite series will have a chance to continue into the future, while others may only be issued once before they are gone forever. An inspiring collection of photos taken with each series by real photographers in our community can be found online at grafx.world.

GRAFX is the result of a simple idea born from more than a decade of product development experience. Over that time, the product design team at Retrospekt created several well-received, custom graphic film stocks for global brands like Peanuts and Hello Kitty. However, outside of those character-driven projects, the technique was not being widely applied to more general film offerings. Inspired by their learnings, the team created GRAFX to feature more universally-themed designs, appeal to a larger audience outside the aesthetic lexicon of any one fandom and complement a wider variety of subject matter. All this to build an approachable film product with a creative framework that encourages the exploration of the medium—be it an engaging conceptual exercise for the seasoned film photographer or an enticing entry point for the novice user.

GRAFX launched in early August exclusively through select camera shops. All three series will be available online via Retrospekt.com starting August 21. Pick your favorite or try them all.