Library of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry

What do “The Karate Kid,” “Clueless,” “Before Sunrise,” and “The Big Chill” have in common (besides being great films that hold-up over multiple watches)? They’ve all been added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress (LC).

Each year, LC adds films to the registry based on their cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage. LC announced today that it has selected 25 films for inclusion in the registry for 2025.

The 2025 selections date back to the silent film era with six silent films dating from 1896 to 1926. The newest film added to the registry is filmmaker Wes Anderson’s 2014 comedy, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which included meticulous historical research at the Library of Congress to create visually striking scenery.

The selections for 2025 bring the number of titles in the registry to 925. Some of the film titles are among the 2 million moving image collection items held by LC. Others are preserved in coordination with copyright holders or other film archives.

The annual selection of films for the registry is vital to American history and film preservation, says Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen.

“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,” Newlen said in a statement. “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.”

The films selected for 2025 include iconic Hollywood films from the past 50 years, including “Glory,” “Philadelphia,” “The Truman Show,” and “Inception,” John Carpenter’s horror classic, “The Thing,” and perhaps the last great musical of the Golden Age of Hollywood, “High Society” from 1956 featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Grace Kelly in her last movie.

Four documentaries were selected for the registry this year, including Ken Burns’ “Brooklyn Bridge,” Nancy Buirski’s “The Loving Story,” George Nierenberg’s “Say Amen, Somebody,” and Danny Tedesco’s “The Wrecking Crew.”

“The Karate Kid” star Ralph Macchio told LC that the characters were key to cementing the film in pop culture history.

“The magic of Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi and me as the Daniel LaRusso character, that sort of give and take, that instant soulful magic was happening from our first meeting, Macchio said. “Those scenes in Miyagi’s yard, the chores, the waxing on of the car, the painting the fences, the sanding the floor, all of that is now a part of cinematic pop culture. For me, the heart and soul of the film is in those two characters.”

Films selected for the 2025 National Film Registry, in chronological order, are:

• “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, at 8 p.m. ET, to screen a selection of films named to the registry this year. TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart, who is chair of the National Film Preservation Board, will introduce the films. Stewart leads the board in studying and recommending films across a wide variety of genres and eras for the Librarian of Congress to consider for the registry.

The public submitted 7,559 titles for consideration this year. The public can submit nominations throughout the year on LC’s web site. Nominations for next year will be accepted until August 15, 2026. Cast your vote at loc.gov/film.

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