National Film Registry 2026 Additions: Full List  

Music is well-represented on the annual roster of 25 additions to the National Film Registry, which include the 1982 documentary Say Amen, Somebody, a spirited history of gospel music; the 1983 box-office hit The Big Chill, which had a soundtrack brimming with Motown classics; the 1993 film Philadelphia, which featured a pair of Oscar-nominated songs; and the 2008 documentary The Wrecking Crew, about the West Coast studio musicians who played on countless hit records in the 1960s.

The Library of Congress announced its latest additions to the National Film Registry on Thursday (Jan. 29). The films were selected because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance. These 25 selections bring the number of titles in the registry to 925.

Philadelphia, one of the first mainstream films to focus on the AIDS crisis, included Bruce Springsteen’s Oscar-winning “Streets of Philadelphia” and Neil Young’s Oscar-nominated title song. White Christmas (1954) was built around the 1942 Oscar-winning classic that was written by Irving Berlin and recorded by Bing Crosby. It also included a new song by the pair that received an Oscar nod, “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep.”

Two other inducted films featured Oscar-nominated songs. High Society (1956) included Cole Porter’s “True Love,” a hit that year for Crosby and Grace Kelly. Frida (2002) featured “Burn It Blue,” co-written by composer Eliot Goldenthal and the film’s director, Julie Taymor.

Five of the inducted films had Oscar-nominated scores: High Society (Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin), Frida (Goldenthal), The Hours (Philip Glass), Inception (Hans Zimmer) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat).

Nearly two decades after its 1995 release, Clueless, the classic teen comedy directed by Amy Heckerling, inspired the music video for the Hot 100-topping smash “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli xcx. This underscores the unexpected ways that films can have long-term pop-culture influence.

The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson and released in 2014, is the newest film added to the National Film Registry this year. Six of the selections date from the silent film era, specifically 1896 to 1926. Some of those silents are quite obscure. The Tramp and the Dog (1896) was lost until 2021. The Maid of McMillan (1916) was a student film.

“When we preserve films, we preserve American culture for generations to come,” acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen said in a statement. “These selections for the National Film Registry show us that films are instrumental in capturing important parts of our nation’s story.”

George Nierenberg’s Say Amen, Somebody and Danny Tedesco’s The Wrecking Crew! are both of special interest to music fans. Say Amen, Somebody features substantial late-career footage of Thomas A. Dorsey, widely known as the “Godfather of Gospel Music.” According to a 2015 Billboard story, The Wrecking Crew! featured 110 songs, “at least 90 of them top 40 hits,” that the crack team of session musicians played on. Carol Kaye, a legendary bass guitarist who was part of that ensemble, appeared in the documentary. In 2025, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence Award category.

These two films are among four documentaries that were selected for the registry this year. The others are Ken Burns’ Brooklyn Bridge, about the New York City landmark that was completed in 1883, and Nancy Buirski’s The Loving Story, about the Virginia couple that put a face on interracial marriage.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will host a TV special on Thursday, March 19 at 8 p.m. ET to highlight a selection of films named to the registry this year. TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart, who is chair of the National Film Preservation Board, will introduce the films. Stewart leads the board in recommending films for the Librarian of Congress to consider for the registry.

“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,” Stewart said. “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.”

The public submitted 7,559 titles for consideration this year. The public can submit nominations throughout the year on the Library’s website. Nominations for next year will be accepted until Aug. 15.

Here’s a complete list of films newly added to the National Film Registry, showing the year of release and the film’s director.

Additional reporting by Joe Lynch.