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Zapruder Film

What is zapruder film?

· Emily Grant

Key facts

Creator Abraham Zapruder[1]
Date November 22, 1963[1]
Place Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas[1]
Format silent 8mm color motion picture sequence[1]
Frames 486[3]

The Zapruder film is an 8mm silent color home movie that accidentally captured the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963.

Context

The Zapruder film is a 26-second, silent 8mm color home movie shot by Abraham Zapruder in Dallas on November 22, 1963, as President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza [1]. It unexpectedly recorded the assassination and became a major piece of evidence in later investigations [1]. The film shows Kennedy and his motorcade as shots are fired, and it is described as the only film known to exist showing all of the shooting [4]. Zapruder sold the film to Life magazine on November 23, 1963, with the condition that frame 313 not be published [5]. It was first shown publicly in the Clay Shaw trial in 1968 [2].

Documented claims

  • The film became an essential piece of evidence in the Warren Commission hearings and subsequent investigations. [1]
  • It is the only known film showing all of the shooting. [4]
  • Zapruder sold the film to Life magazine on November 23, 1963, with the condition that frame 313 not be published. [5]

Questions and answers

What happened to the Zapruder film?

Zapruder sold the film to Life magazine on November 23, 1963, with the condition that frame 313 not be published [5]. It was first shown publicly in the Clay Shaw trial in 1968 [2].

How much is the Zapruder film worth?

The sources do not specify a monetary value for the film.

Who owns the Zapruder film today?

The sources do not state the current owner of the film.

Sources

  1. Zapruder Film | Information School | University of Washington — ischool.uw.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. Documents that Changed the World: the Zapruder film, Nov. 22, 1963 — washington.edu (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. What Does the Zapruder Film Really Tell Us? — smithsonianmag.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  4. Zapruder FAQ | The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey ... — jfk.org (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  5. The Untold Story of the Zapruder Film — people.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in History