Each year, the Library of Congress adds 25 films to the National Film Registry in order to preserve remarkable entries in the cinematic canon for future generations. This year, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and the ecstasy of DreamWorks’ Shrek are among the additions.
No creator formally commented on Shrek’s achievement, but as the National Film Registry announcement notes, “Even by DreamWorks standards, the charm and magic of Shrek seemed extraordinary upon its initial release almost 20 years ago — and its power has yet to diminish in the intervening years.”
“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,” Nolan said in a statement.
Additional films include Lilies of the Field, which made Sidney Poitier the first Black actor to win the Oscar for best actor; Wayne Wang’s generational Asian-American story The Joy Luck Club; the silent film Suspense, which was co-directed by a woman in 1913; as well as The Hurt Locker, which earned Kathryn Bigelow a directing Oscar, making her the first woman to earn the award.