Library of Congress adds The Dark Knight, Grease and The Blues Brothers to National Film Registry for preservation

Films chosen by the Library of Congress will be preserved for future generations

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight and Shrek are among the 25 films to be added to the National Film Registry this year.

The Library of Congress unveiled its annual picks of the movies it considers to be among the most influential in America.

This year’s list features a record number of films directed by women, including Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker. In 2009, Bigelow became the first – and to date only – woman to win an Oscar for Best Director for her work on the film.

Other notable films include 1963’s Lilies of the Field, which made Sidney Poitier the first African-American to win an Oscar for Best Actor, 1978 musical Grease, and John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s 1980 comedy The Blues Brothers.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement: “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 colour have made to American cinema, despite facing often-overwhelming hurdles.”

Nolan told Deadline: “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.”

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

The total number of films now selected by the Library of Congress for preservation stands at 800.

The full list of new additions is as follows:

The Battle Of The Century (1927)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Bread (1918)

Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

Cabin In The Sky (1943)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Devil Never Sleeps (1994)

Freedom Riders (2010)

Grease (1978)

The Ground (1993-2001)

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Illusions (1982)

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

Kid Auto Races At Venice (1914)

Lilies Of The Field (1963)

Losing Ground (1982)

The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)

Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege (2006)

Outrage (1950)

Shrek (2001)

Suspense (1913)

Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971)

Wattstax (1973)

With Car And Camera Around The World (1929)