An eclectic mix of box office smashes, cult favorites and historically important films make up the 2017 National Film Registry, released Wednesday.

  • 25 movies added to the National Film Registry
  • Movies have to be "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant"
  • The annual registry is meant to raise awareness about film preservation

The 25 films chosen are considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant," and are now earmarked for preservation by the Library of Congress. They join the 700 film titles currently in the National Film Registry.

To be selected, the film has to be at least 10 years old and go through a rigorous vetting process that can include nominations from the public, the National Film Preservation Board and library specialists. 

The goal of the registry is to help raise awareness about the need to preserve America's film heritage. In 2013, a Library of Congress report determined about 70 percent of the nation's silent feature films were lost forever.

Other important films from the last 100 years have also been in danger and required rigorous restoration efforts — including films considered some of America's greatest, like "The Godfather."

Here are the 25 films named to the 2017 National Film Registry. You can learn more about why each one was chosen on the Library of Congress website.

Films Selected for the 2017 National Film Registry
(alphabetical order)

  1. Ace in the Hole (aka Big Carnival) (1951)
  2. Boulevard Nights (1979)
  3. Die Hard (1988)
  4. Dumbo (1941)
  5. Field of Dreams (1989)
  6. 4 Little Girls (1997) 
  7. Fuentes Family Home Movies Collection (1920s and 1930s)
  8. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
  9. The Goonies (1985)
  10. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
  11. He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
  12. Interior New York Subway, 14th Street to 42nd Street (1905)
  13. La Bamba (1987)
  14. Lives of Performers (1972)
  15. Memento (2000)
  16. Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
  17. The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918)
  18. Spartacus (1960)
  19. Superman (1978)
  20. Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)
  21. Time and Dreams (1976)
  22. Titanic (1997)
  23. To Sleep with Anger (1990)
  24. Wanda (1971)
  25. With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain (1937-1938)

Nominations are now open to the public for the 2018 National Film Registry. Find all the films on the National Film Registry here. You can nominate a film using the Library's online nomination form.