There’s a mysterious film manufacturer from the Ukraine that has alternately been called S

There’s a mysterious film manufacturer from the Ukraine that has alternately been called Svema and Astrum since 1931. They’ve made one or two of my favorite films, now out of production, and a few that I think continue to be made but are hard to get your hands on. Most are black and white, but if you’ve paid attention to my photography, you know I’m mostly a color guy. Their website doesn’t shed much light, stating “TOV ‘Astrum Ltd’ was founded in May, 1995 and for more than 10 years has been successfully working in the Ukrainian market of aerial films.” Meaning I guess the website hasn’t been updated since the aughts? Aerial film usually means infrared, and I know they did at one time make a color infrared film. I would LOVE to get my hands on some of that. Their color motion picture emulsions have a green-ish tint. If you’re ever watching any late-period Soviet cinema, it will likely look a bit, or a lot, green. That’s Svema, or Astrum, or whatever it was called then.The film used in this photo expired in 1992. It was probably made in the late 80’s, when Ukraine was still under Soviet rule. Shortly before it expired, Ukraine gained independence. This roll made its way through time and space into my hands, slowly deteriorating along the way into this lovely, muted yet colorful, fully unpredictable object capable of transforming the ordinary into something of enigmatic depth and beauty.I hope that Svema/Astrum can continue to make their mysterious films long into the future, and free of Russian imperialist rule. -- source link

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