Young people grew up in the digital age. So why do they love movies on film?
Younger generations are driving a resurgence in analog film screenings, seeking immersive and community-focused experiences in an increasingly digital world. Data shows that Canadians under 35 are significantly more likely to be frequent moviegoers, with high demand for large-format film experiences like 70-mm Imax.
Why it matters
This trend challenges the stereotype of digital-native youth as isolated consumers and highlights a growing market preference for high-quality, tangible cultural experiences.
Rebanal, a filmmaker himself, is 27 — meaning that when he was growing up, Hollywood was already dominated by digital technology. Even so, he says he has been "enraptured" by film.
"When you're seeing something on film, there's a lot of fine details that you don't get digitally," he said at an event at the Toronto International Film Festival's (TIFF) Lightbox in Toronto about film formats. The event was held as part of a retrospective on director Christopher Nolan, ahead of the release of his newest film The Odyssey . It even featured a large Imax camera that presenters noted was Nolan's favourite.
Young people are often stereotyped as phone-addicted shut-ins who won't date , drink , read books or have kids . Yet some of them are behind an analog film renaissance at movie theatres, as they look for immersive, community-focused experiences you can't get online or at home.
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