The National Film Registry just got bigger

Yesterday, the Library of Congress unveiled its annual list of 25 films to be inducted into the National Film Registry (NFR) for preservation. And it’s giving *nostalgia*.

🤔 What is the National Film Registry?... Established with the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, the NFR’s stated purpose is to aggregate and preserve a list of works deemed significant to American culture. Films become eligible for the list 10 years after their release, and the public can nominate movies for consideration each year. The final 25 are then chosen by the Librarian of Congress.

• One interesting thing: The NFPA of 1988 – passed in an era notably absent of streaming platforms – came about after several prominent filmmakers and industry players, including Frank Capra and Martin Scorsese, advocated for Congress to enact a film preservation bill in order to avoid commercial modifications of classic films (including editing for TV), which they saw as negative.

📽 This year’s inductees: Include the list’s most recent film (Pariah, released in 2011), one of the list’s oldest films (Mardi Gras Carnival, 1898), as well as classics like Hairspray, When Harry Met Sally, House Party, The Little Mermaid, and Iron Man, aka the film that kicked off the MCU as we know it. Here’s the full list.

📝🍿 NFR fun facts: This year's additions bring the total number of films in the Registry to 850. And of that overall list, only Raging Bull was inducted prior to the 10-year release minimum – while six other films, including Goodfellas, Toy Story, and Freedom Riders, were inducted right at the 10-year mark.