Movies like “The Social Network,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Dirty Dancing,” and others are the latest pieces of cinema to be preserved by the National Film Registry.
Every year, the Library of Congress highlights 25 films at least 10 years old to recognize as “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. In 2024, more than 6,700 titles were submitted by the public for consideration. But only a select few were hand-picked. Some of the other film titles added to the National Film Registry are “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” “My Own Private Idaho,” “Spy Kids,” “No Country for Old Men” and “Beverly Hills Cop.”
The registry now only has a total of 900 movies compared to the 2 million other films in the Library’s collection. Variety said the other films are preserved with their copyright holders or for other film archives.
In a statement about this year’s picks, the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden said, “Films reflect our nation’s history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come. This is a collective effort in the film community to preserve our cinematic heritage.”
Turner Classic Movie will host a TV special on Dec. 18 to showcase the selection of films inducted into the registry this year. Hayden will be a guest at the special alongside film historian Jacqueline Stewart, chair of the National Film Preservation Board, to talk about the films.
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