Film Photography Might Be Cultural Heritage Soon

The German Photo Council is pushing to get film photography recognized as cultural heritage by UNESCO—and they’re making progress. While UNESCO is mostly known for protecting famous landmarks like the Great Wall of China or the Taj Mahal, it also protects cultural traditions, like beekeeping and Irish harping. Now, film photography is in the running.

Thanks to efforts from Claudia Determann, Christian Klant, and Thomas Gerwers, Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia has already recognized analog photography as cultural heritage. The next step? Getting Germany to approve it at the federal level, which would open the door for UNESCO’s official list.

Photography has documented some of the world’s biggest moments—like the Apollo 11 moon landing—so it makes total sense for film photography to be preserved as an important part of history.