‘Forrest Gump,’ ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ and ‘Bambi’ among those placed in National Film Registry
The Library of Congress chose some of the most familiar faces in cinematic history, including Forrest Gump and Hannibal Lector, to be immortalized forever in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings.
After months of sorting through some 2,200 nominations, the National Film Registry decided on 25 films this year. However, it was not an easy process, beginning with the National Film Preservation Board sifting though the submissions before letting the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, make his final decision.
Billington and the board always go about the procedure with the American people and culture in mind.
"These films are selected because of their enduring significance to American culture," Billington said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Our film heritage must be protected because these cinematic treasures document our history and culture and reflect our hopes and dreams."
The only criterion for a film to be considered is it must be at least 10-years-old, but many selected are films highly viewed and praised.
"Each year, we do try to pick one of the titles that the public nominated the most, and Forrest Gump was way up there on that list," said Stephen Leggett, program coordinator for the National Film Preservation Board told the Associated Press. "Everything on the list is subject to dissenting opinion."
The National Film Registry started in 1989 helping preserve American filmmaking for future generations and now houses 575 films ranging from a wide variety of topics and genres.
“[The registry’s] aim is not to identify the best movies ever made but to preserve films with artistic, cultural or historical significance,” NBC News in Washington reports.
Some of the other titles chosen this year were The Big Heat, The Lost Weekend, Porgy and Bess, Stand and Deliver, The Iron Horse, A Computer Animated Hand, Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment, and Growing Up Female.