Today is the day each year that the Stateside Library of Congress announces the 25 films that it has deemed — from a much larger list of nominees — worthy of being inducted into its National Film Registry. And 2022's batch includes Iron Man, When Harry Met Sally, The Little Mermaid and John Waters' Hairspray.
The movies are selected because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to America's film heritage, and this year's selections also includes the likes of Carrie, the 1950 adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac and Superfly.
On the documentary side, the list includes Frederick Wiseman’s 1967 film Titicut Follies, which explores the inside of Bridgewater State Prison for the Criminally Insane in Massachusetts to expose the abuse of patients. The film was banned from general release until 1991 when a judge ruled the film could be shown to the general public.
"Iron Man was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced. It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on and it was really make or break for the studio,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said a statement. "All of our favorite movies are the ones that we watch over and over again and that we grow up with. The notion that here we are, almost 15 years after the release of Iron Man, and to have it join the Film Registry tells us it has stood the test of time and that it is still meaningful to audiences around the world."
Head to the Library of Congress' site for the full list.
