Announcing the 2025 National Film Registry

Thank you to everyone who nominated films!

The Library of Congress announced today the annual selection of 25 films to the National Film Registry. This year’s selections bring the number of films in the registry to 925, and many are among the over 2 million moving images held at the Library of Congress. Others are preserved by copyright holders or other film archives.

This year’s selections date back to the silent film era with six films from 1896 to 1926, including the first known student film “Maid of McMillan” (1916) from Washington University in St. Louis. The newest film added to the registry is from 2014 with filmmaker Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which included meticulous historical research at the Library of Congress to create the film’s visually striking scenery.

Four documentaries were selected this year, including Ken Burns’ first film “Brooklyn Bridge” (1981), Nancy Buirski’s “The Loving Story” (2011), George Nierenberg’s “Say Amen, Somebody” (1982) and Denny Tedesco’s “The Wrecking Crew” (2008).

Iconic Hollywood films selected this year include “The Karate Kid” (1984), “Glory” (1989), “Philadelphia”(1993), “Inception” (2010) and “Clueless” (1995). Classic Hollywood selections include the 1954 musical “White Christmas” that enshrined the chart-topping song of the same name, 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.

The complete list of films 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)

You can read more about these films in the Library’s official announcement.

The Library of Congress will be sharing visuals and more interviews on Instagram and Facebook @librarycongress and #natfilmregistry. 

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will screen films from the 2025 National Film Registry on Thursday, March 19, 2026, beginning at 8pm (E.T.) with TCM host and National Film Preservation Board chair Jacqueline Stewart.

The Librarian’s selections include recommendations from the National Film Preservation Board and nominations from the public. This year over 7,500 films were suggested for consideration.  Thank you to everyone who nominated films and please keep them coming! To nominate for the 2026 National Film Registry visit www.loc.gov/film.