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 including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it wove its title character through three decades of national history, blending sincerity with technical innovation in ways that reshaped how studios approached visual effects. Its box office success and cultural saturation, from catchphrases to soundtrack cues, made it a touchstone of nineties cinema and a perennial favorite in home viewing rotations.
This cell centers on Forrest Gump himself, the film's guiding presence and one of the most recognizable characters of the era. Collectors seek him out precisely because the role carries the entire picture, a single figure whose perspective anchors decades of story into something personal and specific. A cell bearing only his name reflects the film's structure, built around his voice and viewpoint above all else. For enthusiasts, holding this piece means holding a fragment tied directly to the character audiences followed from beginning to end.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Forrest Gump (1994).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by 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 torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, appearing as a dual-stripe variable-area format consistent with an analog stereo print; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base shows a warm cream-yellow tint typical of processed color print stock; dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light longitudinal scratches are visible running parallel to the film length, consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive color image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the subject matter is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of dual variable-area optical track and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1994 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 000063988
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
