'The Dark Knight,' 'Shrek' And More Added To National Film Registry

“The Dark Knight,” “Shrek,” "A Clockwork Orange," and many more have been added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The United States National Film Preservation Board announced this year’s honorees on its official website, and it has added 25 new films to its most-influential list. Apart from the aforementioned films, titles like “The Battle of the Century” (1927), “The Blues Brothers” (1980), “Grease” (1978), and “The Hurt Locker” (2018) also made it to the coveted list.

Christopher Nolan, director of “The Dark Knight,” was elated after receiving such a huge honor and said the accolade is a “tribute” to all the artists who have worked on the iconic comic-book character over the years.

“This is not only a great honor 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,” Nolan told the Library of Congress.

A record-setting nine movies from female filmmakers have been added to the list this year. “Suspense” (Lois Weber), “Bread” (Ida May Park”), “Outrage” (Ida Lupino”), and “The Hurt Locker” (Kathryn Bigelow) are some of the films directed by female directors that have been added to the registry.

Bigelow, who was the first female director to win an Oscar for Best Director, said that getting selected by NFR is both “humbling and thrilling.”

“My desire in making ‘The Hurt Locker’ was to honor those in uniform serving in dangerous posts abroad, so I have been gratified by the resonance the film has had over the last 10 years. For it to be selected by the National Film Registry is both humbling and thrilling,” Bigelow said.

All the films added to the list are selected because of their cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage. This year’s selection brought the total to 800.

The list also features seven titles by filmmakers of color.

Speaking about this year’s selection, Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, said the inclusion of “diverse filmmakers” is a step ahead in the right direction and spotlights the astonishing “contributions” women and people of color have made to the American film industry.

“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. 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,” Hayden said.

Here's the list of 25 movies added to the National Film Registry this year:

1. “Suspense” (1913)
2. “Kid Auto Races at Venice” (1914)
3. “Bread” (1918)
4. “The Battle of the Century” (1927)
5. “With Cara and Camera Around the World” (1929)
6. “Cabin in the Sky” (1943)
7. “Outrage” (1950)
8. “The Man with the Golden Arm” (1955)
9. “Lilies of the Field” (1963)
10. “A Clockwork Orange” (1971)
11. “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971)
12. “Wattstax” (1973)
13. “Grease” (1978)
14. “The Blues Brothers” (1980)
15. “Losing Ground” (1982)
16. “Illusions” (1982)
17. “The Joy Luck Club” (1993)
18. “The Devil Never Sleeps” (1994)
19. “Buena Vista Social Club” (1999)
20. “The Ground” (1993-2001)
21. “Shrek” (2001)
22. “Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege” (2006)
23. “The Hurt Locker” (2008)
24. “The Dark Knight” (2008)
25. “Freedom Riders” (2010)