Who are we? - Founder’s story

Hi, we’re Cole and Raph,

We've been best mates for well over a decade. Just like you, we started shooting film after finding our parents’ old SLRs. Cole’s film adventure started out with his grandfather’s iconic Nikon F2 and inspired by this Raph went on to bring his mom’s Pentax Spotmatic out of the attic.

Years passed and film photography stayed as one of our main ways of explore the world. That’s until we left for an adventure to the other side of the world. It’s in Melbourne, Australia that we met Gary, a living legend and the creator of FilmNeverDie, one of Australia’s most iconic photo labs. Through his lab he made us discovered what a real film photography community was like. Seeing our enthusiasm he took us under his wing and we got working together. Cole learned everything about film developing while Raph focussed on refurbishing vintage cameras.

After months of working together the question of going back to Belgium arose. Visas were nearing expiration and it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay in Australia. Sensing this and seeing our dedication to the film photography world Gary decided to teach us everything we needed to know about running a modern day film lab.

This sparked the idea for Mori Film Lab. We had been film shooters for a long time and customers of countless labs in Belgium and Australia. Once back in Belgium, we decided to create the lab we always wished for as customers.

We wanted a place that would create a sense of cohesion for the local film community. A place where it is safe to buy used film cameras without having to resort to eBay or private sellers that will sell you a "Mint+++++" camera, only to find out once you've received it that the shutter doesn’t open fully.

Most importantly we needed to create a lab that could serve you the best film photography services.

Our focus was, and will always be, on providing convenient, affordable and super high quality film developing and scanning services.

It’s on these ideas that in December 2020 Mori Film Lab opened it’s doors. 

By 2021, Mori became a place where you could develop your film, get high-resolution scans, view exhibitions by local artists, enjoy a coffee, and receive the best advice possible on choosing your next film camera.

This quickly took off and after only a few months of being opened we realised we’d need help. So little by little our team started to grow.

And on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we interviewed a man that would forever change our dynamic.

François, his eyes sparkling with passion, came into the door to apply for a student scanning job. But after only a few hours of chatting we realised we could do much more. A new space had been freed up behind the lab. Sandwiched between two buildings and with no windows, it would make an amazing darkroom and François, who is an experienced photographer and darkroom veteran was going to help us build it.

This’s how our iconic duo became an unstoppable trio. With Cole’s technical lab knowledge, François’ love for traditional photography and Raph’s drive to create a strong community surrounding film we knew we’d go much further.

This is why to us, Mori Film Lab is much more than a photo lab. It’s a testament to our passion, our friendship and the magic of forgotten treasures. From dusty old cameras found in an attic to the streets of Brussels, we have created a space where everyone and everything works toward one goal. To elevate people’s experience of film photography.

Welcome to Mori Film Lab!