These 25 Movies Have Been Added to the National Film Registry

The National Film Preservation Board today announced this year's 25 additions to the National Film Registry, a collection of movies that will be preserved forever. It's a list of American movies that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to be preserved by the US Library of Congress.

As explained on the Film Registry's website, they are not the "best" American movies per se, but instead are "works of enduring importance to American culture."

"They reflect who we are as a people and as a nation," the government organization says.

This year's selections include a good blend of popular and lesser-known movies. The Lion King, The Breakfast Club, The Princess Bride, Thelma & Louise, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? were chosen, alongside the 29 silent black-and-white films from the Reverend Solomon Sir Jones released 1924-1928. The films are counted as one for this list.

Movies can be nominated by the public for selection, while the National Film Preservation Board also consults with film curators to decide which films are nominated and eventually selected.

Below is the full list of the 25 movies that were added to the National Film Registry this year. Go to the National Film Registry's website to read essays for each film about why they were chosen. There you will also find a complete list of the 700-plus movies in the National Film Registry.

The Atomic Café
Ball of Fire
The Beau Brummels
The Birds
Blackboard Jungle
The Breakfast Club
The Decline of Western Civilization
East of Eden
Funny Girl
Life of an American Fireman
The Lion King
Lost Horizon
Musketeers of Pig Alley
Paris Is Burning
Point Blank
The Princess Bride
Putney Swope
Reverend Solomon Sir Jones films
Rushmore
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Suzanne, Suzanne
Thelma & Louise
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
A Walk in the Sun
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?