Video: Inside the last Polaroid factory in the world

If you've ever wondered how Polaroid film is still being made in 2026, a new documentary from YouTube channel In An Instant is well worth 45 minutes of your time.

The film takes viewers inside Polaroid's factory in Enschede, the Netherlands, the only facility in the world still producing Polaroid instant film. It's a remarkable achievement considering the company's film production appeared destined for extinction after the original Polaroid shut down its factories in 2008.

The documentary follows the journey of a pack of film from raw materials to finished product, introducing the chemists, engineers, machine operators and logistics staff who keep production running.

Along the way, it reveals just how complex instant film really is, with each sheet containing a carefully engineered combination of layers and chemistry that develops an image moments after exposure.

What makes the story particularly compelling is the sense that this is more than just a factory. It is the last link in a manufacturing tradition that once spanned multiple continents, now condensed into a single building responsible for supplying photographers around the globe.

For fans of analogue photography, manufacturing, or simply a good underdog story, it's well worth a watch.