My 2025 National Film Registry nominations
Each December, the National Film Preservation Board selects 25 films to be inducted into the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The board have said nominations from the public play a vital role in what films they choose to select. In 2017 one film I nominated, Superman (1978) was selected. In 2018 two films I nominated, The Shining (1980) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) had been selected. In 2021 three films I nominated, The Long Goodbye (1973), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) had been selected. In 2023 two films I nominated, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) were selected. And in 2024 three films I nominated, Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and My Own Private Idaho (1991) were selected. So they clearly take public nominations seriously.
If you want to nominate any films to be in the registry, go to the Library of Congress website.
You can nominate up to 50 films and the deadline is August the 15th.
Here are my picks for the 2025 National Film Registry.
The board have said nominations from the public play a vital role in what films they choose to select. In 2017 one film I nominated, Superman (1978) was selected. In 2018 two films I nominated, The Shining (1980) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) had been selected. In 2021 three films I nominated, The Long Goodbye (1973), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) had been selected. In 2023 two films I nominated, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) were selected. And in 2024 three films I nominated, Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and My Own Private Idaho (1991) were selected. So they clearly take public nominations seriously.
If you want to nominate any films to be in the registry, go to the Library of Congress website.
You can nominate up to 50 films and the deadline is August the 15th.
Here are my picks for the 2025 National Film Registry.
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- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsAl PacinoMichelle PfeifferSteven BauerIn the 1980s, a determined criminal-minded Cuban immigrant becomes the biggest drug smuggler in Miami, and is eventually undone by his own drug addiction.One of Brian De Palma's best known films, it Initial received negative reviews from critics but has since become a staple of pop culture from Al Pacino's performance, the many quotable lines and even the poster. The film has also been heavily referenced in hip-hop/rap music. It is now considered by many to be one of the best gangster films of all time and a cult classic.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsMark WahlbergJulianne MooreBurt ReynoldsAn idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.Chronicling the rise and fall of the porn industry in the 1970s and 1980s with strong characters and bold themes, it established Paul Thomas Anderson as one of the defining filmmakers of his generation and turned Mark Wahlberg into a serious actor. It is wildly regarded today as one of Anderson's masterworks.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroVal KilmerA group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.One of the most influential crime films of all time, it is known for its realistic portrayal of Los Angeles and complex heists. Many films since have mimicked its style and directors such as Christopher Nolan and Mia Hansen-Løve have cited the film as an influence.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsElvia AllmanSara BernerDaws ButlerThe characters of the traditional fairy tale demand a new approach to the story as a sexy urban comedy with Red as a nightclub singer.
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsSkip HinnantRosetta LeNoireJohn McCurryIn the late 1960s, a pretentious, womanizing young cat drops out of college, starts a riot in Harlem, hits the road with an ex-girlfriend and gets mixed up with domestic terrorists.Most infamous for being the first X rated animated film, it not only helped break American animation out of its family friendly perception but also depicted the counter culture of its time though the use of anthropomorphic animals.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsWil WheatonRiver PhoenixCorey FeldmanA writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.A wise, nostalgic film that has become one of the quintessential films of the 1980s, it captures the trials of growing up and continues to resonate with each generation. It also brought a rekindled interest in the Ben E. King song which the film is named after.
- DirectorsJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn GetzFrances McDormandDan HedayaThe owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.The directorial debut of the Coen brothers, arguably the last major American filmmakers, it is a timeless genre film but with a hip and contemporary vibe that stands apart from other films of that era. It also has some of their later trademarks such as a dark sensibility and genre blending.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenJames GarnerRichard AttenboroughAllied officers in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II making a daring plan for a mass escape by hundreds of their men, hoping to draw German personnel and resources away from combat operations.The film that made Steve McQueen a star, a much-loved story that continues to enchanted audiences. The action scenes had proven to be very influential with the barb-wire jump scene being one of the most iconic in film history.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMaurice ChevalierJeanette MacDonaldLupino LaneThe queen of mythical Sylvania marries a courtier, who finds his new life unsatisfying.The first sound film made by the legendary Ernst Lubitsch, it was also the first movie musical to integrate songs with the story and is noted for Lubitsch's mastery and innovation of sound film technology despite it being his first "talking picture".
- DirectorWolfgang ReithermanStarsPhil HarrisSebastian CabotLouis PrimaBagheera the Panther and Baloo the Bear have a difficult time trying to convince a boy to leave the jungle for human civilization.The last animated feature film that was personally supervised by Walt Disney, it has endured as one of the studios’ biggest successes with top-notch animation, unforgettable characters and memorable musical numbers.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsSterling HaydenColeen GrayVince EdwardsCrook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.Considered by the director himself to be his first mature work, it caught the attention of critics for its raw look and innovative camerawork and the non-linear structure has been highly influential on later films, such as Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994). Despite being a box office flop, it planted the seed for his later groundbreaking films.
- DirectorJared HessStarsJon HederEfren RamirezJon GriesA listless and alienated teenager helps his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while dealing with his bizarre family life back home.A quirky, offbeat comedy that, while is quite polarising, offers a view of small-town America with limited horizons for young people that led to other successful films set in small towns such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Juno (2007). it has a unique style and has been quoted endlessly by those who love it.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppMartin LandauSarah Jessica ParkerAmbitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
- DirectorsDave FleischerSteve MuffatiStarsBud CollyerJoan AlexanderJackson BeckThe Man of Steel fights a mad scientist who is destroying Metropolis with an energy cannon.The first cinematic appearance of Superman, it brought the popular comic book superhero to the big screen without losing the impact he had on readers. It would eventually influence the comics and subsequently the live-action films and television shows that followed in the years since.
- DirectorStanley KramerStarsTony CurtisSidney PoitierCara WilliamsTwo chained-together escaped convicts, one white and one black, must learn to get along in order to elude capture.A story about two men of different races who must work together to survive, offering a powerful message about racism and humanity's survival. It made Sidney Poitier a household name and he became the first black actor to receive a competitive Oscar nomination for Best Actor in addition to being the first to receive top billing.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.I can’t talk about it.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.Although a critical and commercial failure when it was released, it has since been cited as an influence by directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright, been regarded as one of the best remakes of all time and been considered an iconic 80s horror film.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsGary CooperJean ArthurGeorge BancroftA unassuming greeting card poet from a small town in Vermont heads to New York City upon inheriting a massive fortune and is immediately hounded by those who wish to take advantage of him.One of Frank Capra’s many classics and the first of his social-minded comedies, it turned Jean Arthur into an overnight star and gave Gary Cooper his pure all-American screen persona.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRobert De NiroJames WoodsElizabeth McGovernA former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsJonathan HazeJackie JosephMel WellesA clumsy young man working at an impoverished flower shop discovers that the strange plant he has been nurturing has an insatiable appetite for blood, forcing him to kill to feed it.Filmed in only two days and using sets and actors he already had, the late Roger Corman still managed to create a memorable film that became a staple of late night television with its strange plot and off-beat sense of humour. It inspired a successful Broadway musical and subsequent a film adaptation directed by Frank Oz.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsRyan O'NealTatum O'NealMadeline KahnDuring the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.A deft blend of film nostalgia and finely tuned performances, it shows the real poverty and desperation of Kansas and Missouri during the Great Depression and also has a fun story of a con man teaming up with a little girl. Tatum O'Neal became the youngest Oscar winner for her performance, a record that still stands today.
- DirectorLois WeberStarsCourtenay FooteMyrtle StedmanHerbert StandingThe parallel stories of a modern preacher and a medieval monk, Gabriel the Ascetic, who is killed by an ignorant mob for making a nude statue representing Truth, which is also represented by a ghostly naked girl who flits throughout the film.Groundbreaking for its nudity, multiple exposures and intricate editing, it propelled Lois Weber to the front ranks of silent directors.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsAnthony HopkinsJohn HurtAnne BancroftA Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.One of David Lynch's seminal works that gave him his first Oscar nomination, its an admirable synthesis of compassion and restraint in treating its subject and has some amazing performances from John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodStarsGroucho MarxChico MarxHarpo MarxQuincy Adams Wagstaff, Huxley University's new president, accidentally hires bumblers Baravelli and Pinky to help his school win the big football game against their rival, Darwin University.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsCarl ReinerEva Marie SaintAlan ArkinWithout hostile intent, a Soviet submarine runs aground off New England. Men are sent for a boat, but many villagers go into a tizzy, risking bloodshed.
