The National Film Preservation Board has selected 25 films to join the National Film Registry, bringing the total to 925 preserved works. Highlights include classics like 'The Karate Kid' and 'White Christmas,' alongside silent films and modern favorites such as 'Inception' and 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.' The selections celebrate cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.
The National Film Preservation Board announced on Thursday the addition of 25 films to the National Film Registry, part of the Library of Congress. Established in 1988, the registry aims to preserve motion pictures deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant. This year's inductees span over a century of filmmaking, from early silent era works to contemporary blockbusters.
Among the selections are six silent films, including 'Sparrows' (1926) starring Mary Pickford and 'Ten Nights in a Barroom' (1926), which featured an all-Black cast. Other notable additions include the holiday musical 'White Christmas' (1954), the musical comedy 'High Society' (1956), Ken Burns' documentary 'Brooklyn Bridge' (1981), the horror classic 'The Thing' (1982), and the coming-of-age film 'The Karate Kid' (1984).
More recent films honored are 'Clueless' (1995), 'The Truman Show' (1998), Pixar's 'The Incredibles' (2004), Christopher Nolan's 'Inception' (2010), and Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' (2014). The list also features Oscar winners like 'Philadelphia' (1993) and documentaries such as 'The Wrecking Crew' (2008), about studio musicians, and 'The Loving Story' (2011).
Filmmaker Ken Burns reflected on the registry's importance: “When I think about the National Film Registry and all the films that are contained in it, I think of it as a giant mirror of the United States, reflecting back all of the complexity, all of the intimacy, all of the variety of the people and ideas and forces and movements that have taken place over our history. And you realize what an extraordinary repository it is."
National Film Preservation Board Chair Jacqueline Stewart highlighted the diversity: "It is very meaningful that the National Film Registry is adding six silent film titles, showing the range of topics and styles in the earliest years of American filmmaking. 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 honoring the inductees on March 19 at 8 p.m. ET. More than 7,550 films were considered from public nominations, which are accepted until August 15, 2026, via the Library of Congress website.
The registry already includes icons like 'The Godfather,' 'Star Wars,' and 'Casablanca.' Last year's additions featured 'Dirty Dancing' and 'No Country for Old Men.'