The Library of Congress has selected 25 films for preservation in the National Film Registry, including Christopher Nolan's Inception, Amy Heckerling's Clueless, and Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise. These additions highlight a range from silent-era works to modern blockbusters, recognized for their cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance. The selections bring the registry's total to 925 titles.
The National Film Registry, established to preserve America's cinematic heritage, announced its 2025 additions on January 29, 2026. Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen emphasized the importance of these selections, stating, “When we preserve films, we preserve American culture for generations to come. These selections for the National Film Registry show us that films are instrumental in capturing important parts of our nation’s story.”
The list spans over a century of filmmaking, starting with six silent films from 1896 to 1926, such as The Tramp and the Dog (1896) and The Lady (1925). Classic Hollywood entries include the 1954 musical White Christmas and the 1956 romantic comedy High Society, featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Grace Kelly. Other notable inductees are Ken Burns's documentary Brooklyn Bridge (1981), John Carpenter's horror classic The Thing (1982), and ensemble drama The Big Chill (1983) with Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, and Kevin Kline.
From the 1980s and 1990s come war epic Glory (1989), martial arts film The Karate Kid (1984), and Tom Hanks-starring Philadelphia (1993). The 1990s also see Before Sunrise (1995), a slice-of-life romance, and Clueless (1995), a coming-of-age comedy. More recent additions include biopic Frida (2002), emotional drama The Hours (2002), Pixar's animated The Incredibles (2004), documentary The Wrecking Crew (2008), mind-bending thriller Inception (2010), The Loving Story (2011), and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).
Jacqueline Stewart, TCM host and chair of the National Film Preservation Board, noted, “It is very meaningful that the National Film Registry is adding six silent film titles... And it is especially exciting to see that the top title nominated by the public for this year, ‘The Thing,’ has been added to the National Film Registry, along with ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘The Incredibles’ which also had very strong public support.” Turner Classic Movies will air a special on March 19 to showcase some of the new films.
