I believe the film industry is not doing nearly enough (actually next to nothing) to promote film photography in places were demand could get kick started again. It's good that popularity of shooting on film is rising, but had the industry actually put their feet into schools in a serious way, or start bloody advertising on a larger scale, or push for film cameras to find more pronounced presence in films / on stage etc, it might be a game changer. Film shooting is mostly a curiosity for the young, supported by old grumpy people, some of whom continue to berate digital as if it were some sort of plague, and that means unpredictability of long term demand projections, which kills off any serious investments for expansion.
The key is to build on the coexistence of analog / digital. It may seem as the two are finally, albeit slowly, converging on a larger scale (which IMHO they should), we are talking the scale that affects film production and prices, so perhaps there is something we, but especially the industry, could do to make it finally go where nobody just few years ago even thought it could go.
***
For those who appreciate old school photography, here is a link to on-line archives of
Wojciech Plewinski, an iconic Polish photographer, who is 91 today and still kicking. One who should have been part of Magnum at the very least. Sadly mostly known only in his home country. The link takes you to Italy '57 series, that I had a chance to see in an exhibit and meet the man in person (which of course beats any digital viewing). Without doubt there are more hidden treasures like this most of us have never heard of, yet all of us would benefit from knowing. And film industry would also be so much better for it.