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
Forrest Gump arrived in 1994 from Paramount Pictures, directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted from Winston Groom's novel. It became a defining film of its decade, sweeping the Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. Blending historical footage with an original story, it followed one man's unlikely path through key moments of twentieth century America, earning both commercial success and lasting cultural presence through its quotable lines and inventive technical achievements.
This cell, marked simply as Forrest Gump #44, centers on the character Forrest Gump as portrayed by Tom Hanks, the role that anchors the entire film and became inseparable from his career. Collectors seek frames like this one for the direct link to Hanks's performance, widely regarded as career defining and central to the film's emotional core. Without further context beyond the numbering, this cell stands as a plain reference point in the reel, a single frame carrying the ongoing presence of its lead character across the film's long, unfolding narrative.
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 complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area track; a separate narrow timecode or DTS line appears adjacent to it.
Edge print
The text 'GO' is visible within the picture area on the set signage; no manufacturer edge code, key numbers, or SAFETY FILM text are legible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-golden tint consistent with an acetate or polyester release print; the dye image reads with warm, slightly red-shifted colour rendition.
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 subject matter is consistent with a live-action feature film matching the record.
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical track combined with what appears to be a DTS timecode stripe is consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print format used for Forrest Gump (1994).
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 000064039
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
