National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2012
“A visionary and complex film, the science-fiction epic "The Matrix" employed state-of-the-art special effects, production design and computer-generated animation to tell a story—steeped in mythological, literary, and philosophical references—about a revolt against a conspiratorial regime.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Studio
Warner Bros. Entertainment · Village Roadshow Pictures · Silver Pictures · 136 min
Box office
$467.2M worldwide on a $63M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 4 wins, 4 nominationsBritish Academy Film Awards — 2 winsSaturn Award — 2 winsAll 8 wins · 4 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards: Best Film Editing
Academy Awards: Best Sound
British Academy Film Awards: Best Sound
British Academy Film Awards: Best Special Visual Effects
Saturn Award: Best Director
Saturn Award: Best Science Fiction Film
Scholarship
Named in the title of 1 peer-reviewed work
Examples
Biofilms: the matrix revisited — Trends in Microbiology, 2004
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
The Matrix arrived from Warner Bros. in 1999 as a genre landmark, fusing cyberpunk philosophy with martial arts and bullet time effects that reshaped action cinema. Directed by the Wachowskis, it launched a franchise and remains a touchstone of turn of the millennium filmmaking, prized for its influence on visual effects, fashion, and the broader conversation about simulated reality.
This cell preserves a strip of 35mm featuring Neo and Trinity, the two central figures of the story. Neo, the reluctant chosen one, and Trinity, his closest ally and eventual partner, anchor the film's emotional and narrative core. A frame pairing them together speaks to their bond, the alliance that drives the plot from awakening to resistance. Collectors seek out material tied to these two because their relationship carries much of the saga's weight, making any surviving footage of them a meaningful piece of the film's identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Matrix (1999).
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds three complete frames, each showing four perforations per frame on both edges.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no visible torn or deformed holes.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge of the picture area, with what appears to be a second narrower track beside it, consistent with a dual bilateral or stereo optical arrangement; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at the resolution shown.
Base & colour
The base shows a cool, slightly blue-tinted clear stock; the dye image reads with a muted lavender-grey cast in the frame area, appearing neutral to slightly warm with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratches are visible running through the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot and the figures in dark clothing against a pale background are consistent with the visual style of the film on record.
Era check
The combination of dual optical soundtrack, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, cool blue-tinted polyester base, and four-perforation 35mm format is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999 release date of the film on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063826
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
