National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2011
“As "Forrest Gump," Tom Hanks portrays an earnest, guileless "everyman" whose open-heartedness and sense of the unexpected unwittingly draws him into some of the most iconic events of the 1960s and 1970s.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Robert Zemeckis
Studio
Paramount Pictures · 142 min
Box office
$678.2M worldwide on a $55M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 6 wins, 13 nominationsNational Board of Review — 2 winsAmanda Award — 1 winAll 9 wins · 13 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Director
Academy Awards: Best Picture
Academy Awards: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Awards: Best Film Editing
Academy Awards: Best Actor
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
National Board of Review: Best Film
National Board of Review: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Amanda Award: Best Foreign Feature Film
Scholarship
Named in the title of 31 peer-reviewed works
Examples
Forrest Gump — Iverieli (National Parliamentary Library of Georgia), 2015
Forrest Gump, 2022
Forrest Gump: — State University of New York Press eBooks, 2017
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released by Paramount Pictures in 1994, Forrest Gump became one of the defining American films of its decade, sweeping the Academy Awards with Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. Adapted from Winston Groom's novel, it blended sweeping historical pastiche with an intimate character study, using groundbreaking visual effects to place its protagonist alongside real footage of presidents and pivotal moments in twentieth century America. Its combination of sentiment, humor, and technical innovation made it both a commercial phenomenon and a lasting cultural touchstone, still widely quoted and referenced decades later.
This cell centers on Forrest Gump himself, the film's guileless narrator and accidental witness to history, a role that earned Hanks his second consecutive Oscar. For collectors, frames bearing only his presence hold appeal precisely because he anchors the entire story, every subplot and cameo filtered through his perspective. A cell simply reading his name suggests a foundational moment, one belonging to the character's own arc rather than a specific set piece, the kind of artifact prized for representing the film's emotional and narrative core in its purest, most singular form.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Forrest Gump (1994)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area stripe; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a Dolby SR·D combined track
Edge print
Numbers readable as '3 8 9' (mirrored) are visible along the lower edge margin; additional edge code text is present but not fully legible at this size
Base & colour
Base appears warm cream-yellow, consistent with a processed colour print stock; dye image shows neutral to slightly warm colour balance with no obvious fading or red shift
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot and the costumed figures and setting are consistent with a period-drama release print matching Forrest Gump (1994)
Era check
The combined Dolby SR·D optical track layout, the warm polyester-base stock, and the key-number format are all consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1994 release date 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 000063982
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
