One director is pushing back against the increasing digitisation of the film world by creating the first movie to be released straight to VHS in 20 years. Born in South Africa, Portuguese director Robert dos Santos is best known as a creator of short films and music videos. His first narrative short, the 90-second-long A Moment, won best film at the Los Angeles Film Awards in 2021.With his new straight-to-video indie film This Is How the World Ends, dos Santos continues to break with convention. VHS stopped being the dominant method of home film viewing decades ago, yet one director is returning to it (olegkruglyak3 - stock.adobe.com)VHS players went out of production in 2016 more than a decade after videos were effectively replaced by DVDs, making dos Santos’s film unplayable to anyone who hasn’t hung onto their old VCR.Speaking to The Guardian, dos Santos explained: “It’s a film made by humans for humans. I want people to feel something that’s imperfect, because VHS is not a perfect medium, but there’s also a physical process to it. You have to order a tape and, for some people, actually go out and buy a VCR.“I’m asking people to do a lot, but that’s what it means to be a human. That’s what it means to exist in this lifetime, to actually participate in the act of life, and not to just allow things to happen. It’s to go out there, and feel the bumps and the grooves of life.”While streaming has allowed viewers seemingly unlimited access to millions of films and TV shows with the click of a button, many have argued that the subscription services on offer are costly. There’s also the issue of ownership; while you can buy a video tape or DVD and have it forever, streaming services have the power to change up their catalogue at any moment, making certain films impossible to watch online.Dos Santos’s film will later be released on DVD and Blu-Ray, then cinema before it arrives on streaming (Chloë Saville/CC0)Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.As a result, there has been growing interest in reviving old-school physical media – driven predominantly by the nostalgia-obsessed Gen Z. DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs and vinyl have all seen an increase in sales compared to recent years. Physical media sales still declined by nine per cent in 2025, but this is compared to more than 20 per cent drops in 2023 and 2024.So while most people won’t be able to watch This Is How the World Ends dos Santos said he was happy that people dedicated to this classic medium would be able to.“I love the idea that you need to be part of the club to watch this. It’s for people that have a specific taste. There is a band of human beings who really understand what we’re doing,” dos Santos said.He plans to later release This Is How the World Ends on DVD and Blu-Ray before it cinemas and then streaming.