This year's selections, which were announced on December 14, have made history thanks to the inclusion of nine films directed by women, and seven helmed by filmmakers of color.
- Dec 15, 2020
AceShowbiz - "The Dark Knight", "Grease" and "Shrek" are among the 25 films inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry this year.
Each year, 25 films released more than ten years ago are selected by officials from America's Library of Congress to be added to the registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" important.
This year's list was released on Monday, December 14, with "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan "honoured" by his film's inclusion.
"This is not only a great honour for all of us who worked on The Dark Knight, this is also a tribute to all of the amazing artists and writers who have worked on the great mythology of Batman over the decades," he told Variety in a statement.
"The National Film Registry is an important record of American history, culture and creativity, captured through one of the great American art forms, our cinematic experience," Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. "With the inclusion of diverse filmmakers, we are not trying to set records but rather to set the record straight by spotlighting the astonishing contributions women and people of color have made to American cinema, despite facing often-overwhelming hurdles."
Sidney Poitier's film "Lilies of the Field" - which saw him become the first Black person to win a Best Actor Oscar - is also on the list, with the actor saying: "Lilies of the Field' stirs up such great remembrances in our family, from the littlest Poitiers watching a young and agile Papa to the oldest – Papa Sidney himself!".
Other 2020 inductees include "The Blues Brothers", "The Hurt Locker", "A Clockwork Orange", "The Joy Luck Club", "The Man With the Golden Arm", "Cabin in the Sky", "Freedom Riders" and "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song".
In addition, Monday's selections made history thanks to the inclusion of nine films directed by women, and seven helmed by filmmakers of colour.
