Continuous processing methods for making absorbable polymeric films with one or more of the following properties: high toughness, low modulus, high tensile strength, and thickness less than 10 mm, more preferably less than 1 mm, and more preferably less than 100 µm, have been developed. In the preferred embodiment, the polymer is a polyhydroxyalkanoate, and in the most preferred embodiment, the polymer comprises 4-hydroxybutyrate. A particularly preferred embodiment is a film of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate or copolymer thereof, wherein the film has a tensile strength greater than 5.5 kgf/mm2, tensile modulus less than 181 kgf/mm2, and elongation at break from 10-500%, wherein the film is derived by a continuous process such as melt extrusion or solvent casting, followed by orientation to more than 25% of the film's original length in one or more directions. These can be used for a variety of purposes including fabrication of medical devices.
