The Impossible Project, which aimed at launching new types of instant films to be used in Polaroid cameras, has announced that it will showcase, for the first time, a new colour instant film at this year's Rencontres d'Arles festival in the south of France.

While the new colour film, which comes four months after it launched two versions of a black-and-white instant film, will officially be launched on 29 July, Rencontres d'Arles visitors will be able, from 05 July, to see the first images shot using the new film.

"Experimental works taken on new color film material of the very first pre-production runs will be premiered at the Impossible Exhibition," says the company. "Initiated by Valerie Hersleven, her thirteen represented photographers took on the fresh challenge to be the very first artists exploring the new instant film materials by Impossible. Their unique, analogue works will be exhibited at the famous Bar de la Roquette from 5-13 July."

Alongside the exhibition, the City of Arles will show a selection of vintage family portraits shot on Polaroid film. "These portraits will be selected by students of the Ecole de la Photographie d'Arles."

And to add to this "instant" celebration, the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne will present a selection of shots taken from the European Polaroid Collection. Curated by William Ewing, the Polaroid in Peril! exhibition will take place at Espace Van Gogh in Arles. Ewing will, with Clément Chéroux of the George Pompidou Museum of Modern Art and Florian Kaps of the Impossible Project, participate in a debate about the Polaroid Collection.

The Polaroid Collection, which was created over several decades with images of photographers such as Chuck Close and Ansel Adams, has been the subject of various controversies after its owners decided to auction the best images. Sotheby's carried out the auction selling more than 1200 images from the 16,000 the US archive held. The auction fetched more than $12m.

However, the European Polaroid Collection is still hosted at the Musée de l'Elysée, and Impossible has made an offer t opurchase it to prevent it from being sold and seperated. The bid is currently being reviewed.

For more information, visit www.the-impossible-project.com and www.impossiblexhibition.com.