The Library of Congress has unveiled its newest additions to the National Film Registry, strengthening the breadth and depth of American cinema at a time when cultural memory feels increasingly fragmented. The 2025 selections span more than a century of filmmaking and honor works released between 1896 and 2014 for their artistic, historical and aesthetic significance.
Each year the register preserves 25 films considered essential to the country’s film heritage. With this update, the total number of officially protected titles now stands at 925, a milestone that underscores both the medium’s longevity and the evolving definition of what constitutes American cinematic value.
A cross-generational snapshot of American film
This year’s list combines early silent works with modern classics, featuring films like The big cold, The karate kid, PhiladelphiaAnd Before sunrise alongside more recent entries such as Commencement And The Grand Budapest Hotel. The selections reflect a wide range of genres and storytelling approaches, from intimate character studies to large-scale studio productions.
Recording Philadelphia acknowledges its role as one of the first major Hollywood films to directly address HIV/AIDS and same-sex relationships, at a time when both were largely stigmatized in mainstream media. The big coldmeanwhile, has been preserved not only for its ensemble storytelling, but also for the way it captured the emotional remainder of the baby boomer generation facing adulthood, loss and nostalgia.
Animated films also remain present The incredible oneswhile No idea And The Truman Show highlighting how popular films can serve as cultural commentary and reflect changing attitudes towards identity, media and social performance.
Early film and documentary voices
As with previous Registry updates, the 2025 list balances high-profile titles with early and lesser-known works that document the basics of filmmaking itself. Movies like The Tramp and the Dog (1896), The oath of the sword (1914), McMillan’s maid (1916), and The Lady (1925) represent formative moments in narrative and visual experiments.
Making documentaries is also prominent. Say Amen, someone preserves the history of black gospel music, while The loving story documents the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down the ban on interracial marriage. The wrecking crew! joins the Registry as a record of the influential session musicians whose work spawned countless hit records while remaining largely anonymous to the public.
The role of the register in a changing political moment
The announcement comes amid renewed political attention on the Library of Congress itself. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized the institution as part of broader efforts to reform federal cultural institutions. In May 2025, Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden before the end of her ten-year term. Later that year, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked his replacement attempt Shira Perlmutterthe director of the US Copyright Office.
Despite these tensions, the Register’s mission remains unchanged: to preserve films that reflect the country’s artistic and social evolution, regardless of the political climate.
Complete list of films added to the National Film Registry in 2025
- The Tramp and the Dog (1896)
- The oath of the sword (1914)
- McMillan’s maid (1916)
- The Lady (1925)
- Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
- Say Amen, someone (1982)
- The thing (1982)
- The big cold (1983)
- The karate kid (1984)
- Glory (1989)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- Before sunrise (1995)
- No idea (1995)
- The Truman Show (1998)
- Frida (2002)
- The hours (2002)
- The incredible ones (2004)
- The wrecking crew! (2008)
- Commencement (2010)
- The loving story (2011)
- The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Preservation of more than entertainment
The National Film Registry is not a ranking of popularity or box office success. Instead, it functions as a long-term archive of how Americans have told stories, represented themselves, and addressed social change through moving images.
By preserving everything from experimental shorts to global blockbusters, the Registry reinforces a simple idea: cinema is not disposable. It’s evidence. And in moments when culture feels increasingly volatile, preservation becomes its own form of resistance.
Featured image: Allstar/PARAMOUNT
‘Zootopia 2’ becomes Hollywood’s highest-grossing animated film with $1.7 billion
