The return of Fujifilm’s Neopan 100 Acros Film was announced back in June 2019 to the delight of many in the analogue community. The announcement came just over a year after the firm confirmed rumours that production of the film roll would be discontinued due to difficulty obtaining production materials. That problem, however, seems to have been fixed as a Japanese statement explained the stock would return in 35mm and 120mm formats in late 2019.
Since the announcement, there has been very little news regarding the reviewed product until a November press release announced that the Japanese release would come on 22nd November before being followed up globally in 2020.
Though the film is thought to be due for release to the rest of the world in spring of this year, some eager photographers have seen the stock ahead of time and have taken to the web to reveal a small detail on the roll’s packaging that has subsequently caused something of a stir in the analogue community.
People who have managed to get their hands on shipments of the film have taken to social media to point out and theorise about a small, almost unnoticeable, line of text. The outer packaging of the film shows ‘Made in UK’ markings, neatly designed as part of the Fujifilm box. Because of this minute statement on the packaging, it is believed by many, including Emulsive, that the new Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros film may have been at least partly supported by Ilford Harman. What this means for the roll of film itself seems, largely, inconsequential. Ilford Harman has worked with Fujifilm in the past to create custom stock for the Japanese company, and all of the necessary features of the Neopan stock are still intact except only for the emulsion which Fujifilm announced in 2019 would be subject to a new manufacturing process after the difficulty of sourcing raw materials.
Neither Fujifilm nor Ilford have confirmed nor denied the rumours, but photographers will be able to test the film for themselves in just a few months.