‘Inception,’ ‘Clueless’ and ‘Before Sunrise’ Among 25 Movies Added to National Film Registry

Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller “Inception,” Amy Heckerling’s coming-of-age comedy “Clueless” and Richard Linklater’s slice-of-life drama “Before Sunrise” are among the 25 films selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.

Other titles deemed by the Librarian of Congress as “culturally, historically or aesthetically” that were made at least 10 years ago include 1989 war epic “Glory,” martial arts-inspired “The Karate Kid,” Tom Hanks-led historical drama “Philadelphia,” biopic “Frida,” Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and Pixar’s “The Incredibles.”

This year’s selections date back to the silent film era with six films from 1896 through 1926, such as “The Tramp and the Dog” and “The Lady.” Additions to the Classic Hollywood category include the 1954 musical “White Christmas” as well as the romantic comedy “High Society,” featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Grace Kelly. Others that made the list were the Ken Burns documentary “Brooklyn Bridge,” Jim Carrey’s dramedy “The Truman Show” and ensemble comedy “The Big Chill,” featuring Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt and Kevin Kline.

“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.”

This year’s choices bring the number of titles in the registry to 925. Turner Classic Movies will host a television special on March 19 to screen a few of the new entrants.

“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,” says TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart, who is chair of the National Film Preservation Board. “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.”

Films Selected for the 2025 National Film Registry

• 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)