Library of Congress Picks Registry Films

It’s awards season at the Library of Congress, too. Airplane!, All the President’s Men, and The Empire Strikes Back were among the 25 films chosen for the National Film Registry, which now contains 550 movies. To be chosen, a film must be over 10 years old and have some sort of theatrical release. Though when you get to nineteenth century experimental films like Newark Athlete, “there’s a pretty broad definition of theatrical release,” says Patrick Loughney of the Library of Congress. Film nominations were given to the Librarian of Congress James H. Billington by creative film guilds and archivists, as well as by the public via the library’s website.