Tucked in the basement of The American University of Florence's Corso Dei Tintori 21 campus building, students enrolled in Introduction to Film Photography gather outside of the darkroom. The class, taught this Fall 2025 semester by professor Barbara Leolini, gives all students the opportunity to learn how to shoot and develop their own film. 

The process of developing film in a darkroom can be tumultuous, something that Leolini feels makes the experience so rewarding for the students. 

“I maybe know who's more about students in general, when they approach this class, they're very much frustrated at the beginning,” Leolini explains. “But then when it comes to analog or darkroom workflow, it's not a thing, making mistakes, it's very easy. And it's important that it happened in a way. But it's always an opportunity.”

Students have embraced the challenges that come with working in the darkroom, and learned how to be successful. Like Raegan Knobbe, a study abroad student and finance major, who learned about the importance of embracing failure in the darkroom. 

“I mean, patience, I guess. With film photography there's lots of steps and things that can go wrong,” she mentions.

Film photography provides students with the opportunity to expand their creative horizons while disconnecting from the technology photograph normally requires. Harrison White, a psychology major from Connecticut, cherishes the slow nature of developing film in a darkroom. 

“I think because it's limited and physical it has a more authentic feeling, and with spam taking photos, you kind of have to just be a lot more deliberate with what you're doing, and so it makes you look at things actually closer,” he says.

These efforts will ultimately culminate at The American University of Florence’s end-of-year conference on December 5. The event, which is poised to focus on the resurgence of material media, will showcase works from the students across AUF involved in Advanced Painting, Advanced Film Photography & Leolini's Introduction to Film Photography course. As a part the course, students have the opportunity to present as part of a panel discussion and presentation focused on caffenol; a process in which film is developed using coffee, vitamin C, and sodium carbonate.

Leolini believes that the caffenol process represents a unique and sustainable side of film photography. 

"In a way, it's very much sustainable, because everything is something you can just discard into the sink,” Leolini says. 

The upcoming end-of-year conference serves as the defining moment for many students across the institution. Friday, December 5 will be an opportunity for students, alongside scholars and professionals, to display their experimentation, share the lessons of making mistakes, as well as breakthroughs. All coming together in a public showcase.

The Renaissance of Material Media not only highlights the resurgence of analog media, but also gives students the chance to share the techniques and philosophies they’ve developed throughout the semester, from traditional darkroom processes to innovative methods.