British Academy Film Awards — 2 wins, 1 nominationAcademy Awards — 1 nominationKids' Choice Award — 1 nominationSaturn Award — 1 nominationAll 2 wins · 4 nominations on record
British Academy Film Awards: Best Special Visual Effects
Scholarship
Named in the title of 1 peer-reviewed work
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Back to the Future Part II arrived from Universal Pictures in 1989, hard on the heels of the original film's success, and pushed the trilogy's time-travel premise into bold new territory with visions of a 2015 future and a corrupted 1985 timeline. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it paired ambitious effects work with the character dynamics audiences already loved. The sequel deepened the mythology of the DeLorean and expanded the stakes for its cast, cementing the franchise as a defining piece of late-eighties studio filmmaking.
This cell centers on Marty McFly and Biff Tannen, the film's enduring antagonists, whose rivalry drives much of the plot's tension across timelines. Dr. Emmett Brown's presence situates the moment within the time-travel framework that connects past, present, and alternate futures. As a 35mm cell, it preserves a physical fragment of that ongoing conflict, the kind collectors seek for its connection to a pivotal exchange between hero and antagonist. Pieces featuring this pairing hold particular interest for those tracing Biff's escalating menace throughout the series.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, 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 format
Edge print
FUJI EC13 visible along the top edge, reading in reverse indicating emulsion-up orientation
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight warm tint; dye image shows saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift
Projection history
Light vertical scratching visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate
Picture
Positive colour image; frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot; subject matter and set dressing are consistent with Back to the Future Part II
Era check
Fuji EC13 colour print stock, dual bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, and saturated dye image are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1980s to early 1990s
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 000064157
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
