Established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, the National Film Preservation Board is an advisory body for the Librarian of Congress. The Board helps shape national film preservation planning policy, and also recommends films for the National Film Registry.
Chosen for their cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance, the Board's 25 annual selections for 2021 cover a wide gamut of genres and time periods, from such early films as the Ringling Brothers Parade Film and The Flying Ace to such later works as Stop Making Sense and The Watermelon Woman. The full list for 2021 is as follows:
2000s
WALL•E (2008)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
1990s
Selena (1997)
The Watermelon Woman (1996)
1980s
Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Star Wars Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983)
1970s
The Wobblies (1979)
Chicana (1979)
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
Cooley High (1975)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Sounder (1972)
Pink Flamingos (1972)
The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971)
Requiem-29 (1970)
1960s
Evergreen (1965)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
1950s
Strangers on a Train (1951)
1930s
Flowers and Trees (1932)
Hellbound Train (1930)
1920s
The Flying Ace (1926)
1910s
Jubilo (1919)
1900s
Ringling Brothers Parade Film (1902)
Further information on the Registry as well as the films themselves can be found on the Library of Congress' web site. All 825 films selected for the Registry since 1989 can also be browsed online. In addition, the public is encouraged to make nominations for next year's selections to the National Film Registry.