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Dating back to 1988, the National Film Preservation Board selects 25 films each year to add into the Library of Congress as part of the National Film Registry, and this year, that registry of films has now grown to 925 entries across over a century of cinema.
On Thursday, January 29, the Preservation Board announced its latest selections, and among them are some modern Hollywood blockbusters, a few Old Hollywood favorites, six different silent films, four documentaries, and the first time a Ken Burns film has been added to the national collection. The oldest film, “The Tramp and the Dog,” dates all the way back to 1896, while the newest film is from 2014, Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
Here’s the full list of films selected for the 2025 National Film Registry, in chronological order.
- “The Tramp and the Dog” (1896)
- “The Oath of the Sword” (1914)
- “The Maid of McMillan” (1916)
- “The Lady” (1925)
- “Sparrows” (1926)
- “Ten Nights in a Barroom” (1926)
- “White Christmas” (1954)
- “High Society” (1956)
- “Brooklyn Bridge” (1981)
- “Say Amen, Somebody” (1982)
- “The Thing” (1982)
- “The Big Chill” (1983)
- “The Karate Kid” (1984)
- “Glory” (1989)
- “Philadelphia” (1993)
- “Before Sunrise (1995)
- “Clueless” (1995)
- “The Truman Show” (1998)
- “Frida” (2002)
- “The Hours” (2002)
- “The Incredibles” (2004)
- “The Wrecking Crew” (2008)
- “Inception” (2010)
- “The Loving Story” (2011)
- “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014)
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will host a television special Thursday, March 19, starting at 8 p.m. ET to screen a selection of films named to the registry this year, as hosted by TCM host Jacqueline Stewart, who is also chair of the National Film Preservation Board.
“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,” Stewart said in an official statement. “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.”
The 25 films were selected from nearly 8,000 movies that this year were submitted for nomination, and the board selects movies that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant. You can nominate a movie, one that is at least 10 years old, for preservation up until August 15, 2026.
The six silent films are an interesting bunch. “The Tramp and the Dog” was thought to be lost until a print showed up in 2021 at the National Library of Norway, it’s the first commercial film shot in Chicago, and it’s the first instance of “pants humor,” where a character loses their pants during an altercation. “The Oath of the Sword” is one of the earliest known examples of an Asian American film production. “The Maid of McMillan” is the first known student film. “The Lady” is a heartfelt drama from director Frank Borzage and star Norma Talmadge. “Sparrows” is a Mary Pickford film featuring one of her finest melodrama performances. And “Ten Nights in a Ballroom” features an all-Black cast and is one of only two surviving films made by the Colored Players Film Corporation of Philadelphia.
And any modern cinephiles should be delighted to see classics by John Carpenter, Amy Heckerling, Christopher Nolan, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson, Ken Burns, and more all be recognized by the Film Registry.
“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,” said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. “We are proud to continue this important work, adding a broad range of 25 films to the National Film Registry as a collective effort in the film community to protect our cinematic heritage.”
“Movies have always shaped our culture, with tens of millions of Americans going to the cinema on a regular basis,” says Cinema United CEO & President Michael O’Leary and NFPB Member. “It’s a true honor to support the Library of Congress and the Librarian in their important work preserving influential cinematic experiences. The wide-ranging selections, representing stories with universal themes that connect people everywhere, will inspire classic programming at theatres large and small across the country.”
“Moviegoing is part of the American social fabric,” says Joe Masher, Cinema United New York President and NFPB Member. “Cinemas dotting cities and towns across Main Street America are important places where many of us had our first jobs, our first dates, our first family outings, our first community experiences. With classic films bigger than ever in cinemas, we are grateful to the passionate work of the Library of Congress and the Librarian for their exciting additions to the National Film Registry, introducing new audiences to great movies on the big screen the way they were meant to be seen.”
English (US) ·