2025 NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY

The Library of Congress has finally revealed their selections of the twenty-five movies added this year to the National Film Registry. Usually announced in December, which recognizes their artistic significance while helping to ensure their preservation for generations to come. These films, which must be at least ten years old, have been named because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance and with these selections brings the number of films in the registry to 925.

Some of the films selected include an animated adventure involving a family of super-heroes from Pixar, "The Incredibles"; two musicals that starred Bing Crosby, the holiday classic, "White Christmas" and "High Society", the musical remake of "The Philadelphia Story" with songs by Cole Porter and co-stars, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly; "The Big Chill", the comedy-drama about the reunion of college friends after the death of a classmate brings them together; an early silent film with an all-black cast, "Ten Nights in a Barroom"; two films that featured Denzel Washington: the Civil War drama, "Glory" which earned the actor his first Academy Award and "Philadelphia" which teamed him with Tom Hanks in a legal drama about an attorney suing his former law firm for discrimination over firing him for being a gay man with HIV; Amy Heckerling's quintessential coming-of-age comedy, "Clueless", loosely based on Jane Austen's novel, "Emma"; "Sparrows", a silent drama that starred one of the first movie stars, Mary Pickford that had become even more powerful at this point by moving into producing her films and "Inception", Christopher Nolan's twisty, sci-fi thriller that featured an all-star cast lead by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Turner Classic Movies will screen a selection of these inductees on March 19th with TCM host and film historian, Jacqueline Stewart, who also happens to be chair of the National Film Preservation Board, will introduce the films.

Here is the complete list of the recent entries into the 2025 National Film Registry:

"The Tramp and the Dog" (1896)
"The Oath of the Sword" (1914)
"The Maid of McMillan" (1916)
"The Lady" (1925)
"Sparrows" (1926)



"Ten Nights in a Barroom" (1926)



"White Christmas" (1954)
"High Society" (1956)



"Brooklyn Bridge" (1981)
"Say Amen, Somebody" (1982)



"The Thing" (1982)
"The Big Chill" (1983)



"The Karate Kid" (1984)



"Glory" (1989)
"Philadelphia" (1993)
"Before Sunrise" (1995)



"Clueless" (1995)
"The Truman Show" (1998)
"Frida" (2002)



"The Hours" (2002)



"The Incredibles" (2004)
"The Wrecking Crew" (2008)
"Inception" (2010)
"The Loving Story" (2011)



"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2020 SELECTIONS

Although the Cannes Film Festival was unable to be rescheduled and had to be cancelled this year due to the ongoing battle with the coronavirus pandemic, the French fest's artistic director, Thierry Frémaux decided to reveal the fifty-six films that had been selected as Official Selections for what would have been the 73rd edition. This move is seen as a "badge of honor" for each of these movies and to help give them a boost in their promotion. Cannes had only been cancelled one previous time in 1939. This was the actual year the International film festival was supposed to begin but the start of WWII postponed the event until 1946, a year after the war ended. And in 1968, Cannes was not completed after a group of directors withdrew their films and interrupted the screenings in solidarity with students and labor on strike throughout France.

Some of the chosen movies will play at other film festivals later this year (if they are able to go ahead) and a small number of films that were expected to screen at Cannes this year will wait to debut at next year's festival. It had been previously announced that director, Spike Lee was set to head the jury (which he will preside over next year) and his latest feature with Netflix, "Da 5 Bloods" would have played Out of Competition.

Here is the list of official selections from what would have been the 73rd Cannes Film Festival:

"The French Dispatch" by Wes Anderson (USA)
"ÉTÉ 85 (Summer '85)" by François Ozon (France)



"Asa Ga Kuru (True Mothers)" by Naomi Kawase (Japan)
"Lovers Rock" by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom)
"Mangrove" by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom)
"Druk (Another Round)" by Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)
"ADN (DNA)" by Maïwenn (Algeria/France)
"Last Words" by Jonathan Nossiter (USA)
"Heaven: To The Land of Happiness" by Im Sang-Soo (South Korea)
"El Olvido Que Seremos (Forgotten We’ll Be)" by Fernando Trueba (Spain)
"Peninsula" by Yeon Sang-Ho (South Korea)
"Au crépuscule (In The Dusk)" by Sharunas Bartas (Lituania)
"Des Hommes (Home Front)" by Lucas Belvaux (Belgium)
"The Real Thing" by Kôji Fukada (Japan)

THE NEWCOMERS:

"Passion Simple" by Danielle Arbid (Lebanon)
"A Good Man" by Marie Castille Mention-Schaar (France)
"Les choses qu’on dit, les choses qu’on fait" by Emmanuel Mouret (France)
"Squad" by Ayten Amin (Egypt)
"Limbo" by Ben Sharrock (United Kingdom)
"Rouge (Red Soil)" by Farid Bentoumi (France)
"Sweat" by Magnus Von Horn (Sweden)
"Teddy" by Ludovic et Zoran Boukherma (France)
"Février (February)" by Kamen Kalev (Bulgaria)
"Ammonite" by Francis Lee (United Kingdom)
"Un Médecin de Nuit" by Elie Wajeman (France)
"Enfant Terrible" by Oskar Roehler (Germany)



"Nadia, Butterfly" by Pascal Plante (Canada)



"Here We Are" by Nir Bergman (Israel)

FIRST FEATURES

"Falling" by Viggo Mortensen (USA)
"Pleasure" by Ninja Thyberg (Sweden)
"Slalom" by Charlène Favier (France)
"Casa De Antiguidades (Memory House)" by Joao Paulo Miranda Maria (Brazil)
"Fausse note (Broken Keys)" by Jimmy Keyrouz (Lebanon)
"Ibrahim" by Samir Guesmi (France)
"Au commencement (Beginning)" by Déa Kulumbegashvili (Georgia)
"Gagarine" by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh (France)
"16 Printemps" by Suzanne Lindon (France)
"Vaurien" by Peter Dourountzis (France)
"Garcon Chiffon" by Nicolas Maury (France)
"Si Le Vent Tombe (Should the Wind Fall)" by Nora Martirosyan (Armenia)
"John and The Hole" by Pascual Sisto (USA)
"Courir au gré du vent (Striding Into The Wind)" by Wei Shujun (China)
"La Mort du cinéma et de mon père aussi (The Death of Cinema And My Father Too)" by Dani Rosenberg (Israel)

THREE DOCUMENTARY FILMS:

"En Route Pour Le Milliard (The Billion Road)" by Dieudo Hamadi (Democratic Republic of Congo)
"The Truffle Hunters" by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (USA)
"9 Jours à Raqqa" by Xavier de Lauzanne (France)

FIVE COMEDY FILMS:

"Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes" by Caroline Vignal (France)
"Les Deux Alfred" by Bruno Podalydès (France)
"Un Triomphe (The Big Hit)" by Emmanuel Courcol (France)
"L’origine du monde" by Laurent Lafitte (France)
"Le discours" by Laurent Tirard (France)

FOUR ANIMATED FILMS:

"Aya To Majo (Earwig and the Witch)" by Gorô Miyazaki (Japan)
"Flee" by Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Denmark)
"Josep" by Aurel (France)
"Soul" by Pete Docter (USA)

COMING SOON

Following "Isle of Dogs", his whimsical stop-motion animated feature about a young Japanese boy in search of his beloved dog sent off to a quarantined island due to canine flu, writer/director Wes Anderson is back with a live-action feature. As to be expected, "The French Dispatch" is another fanciful and outlandish tale and has been described by the filmmaker as "a love letter to journalists set at an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city". Inspired by Anderson's love of The New Yorker, there are three storylines he has created which features characters and events that are based on real-life equivalents from the magazine. The film also has an impressive cast with long-time collaborators (Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson) and first-time appearances (Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, Henry Winkler, Elizabeth Moss, Liev Schreiber) working with Anderson.

"The French Dispatch" is due in U.S. theaters on July 24, 2020 October 16, 2020 October 22, 2021

WINNERS FROM THE 2018 BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

“Touch Me Not”, the debut feature from experimental film maker, Adina Pintilie which explores intimacy and challenges our ideas of beauty, received the top prize of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.  Set in Germany, this pseudo-documentary follows a mature English woman (Laura Benson) as she seeks to find sexual pleasure and satisfaction through a variety of different avenues. The film also won Ms Pintilie the Best First Feature Prize.



Wes Anderson, who has been greatly admired by Berlinale in the past, was given the Silver Bear Best Director Prize for his latest work, “Isle of Dogs”. This animated film features his eccentric wit and reliable charm about a future Japan that has outlawed dogs.

“The Heiresses”, a film from Paraguay by director, Marcelo Martinessi, took the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize, named after the fest’s founder to honor a film that “opens new perspectives on cinematic art”. This tells the story of a wealthy lesbian couple (Margarita Irin and Ana Brun, who took the Silver Bear Best Actress Prize) who run in to financial hard times and the toll it takes on their lives and relationship.



“Museum”, a drama inspired by the real life 1985 robbery of Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology, received the Silver Bear Best Screenplay Prize for the director, Alonso Ruizpalacios and his co-writer, Manuel Alcalá. Gael García Bernal stars as a petty thief who steals precious Mayan artifacts and how his actions end up affecting the entire nation.

Here is a partial list of the winners of the 2018 Berlin Film Festival:

Golden Bear for Best Film: “Touch Me Not“
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: “Twarz (Mug)”
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize: “Las Herederas (The Heiresses)”
Silver Bear for Best Director: Wes Anderson, ”Isle Of Dogs“
Silver Bear for Best Actress: Ana Brun, “The Heiresses”
Silver Bear for Best Actor: Anthony Bajon, “La Prière (The Prayer)”
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Manuel Alcalá and Alonso Ruizpalacios, "Museo (Museum)”
Glashutte Original Documentary: ”Waldheims Walzer”
Best First Feature: “Touch Me Not”
Best First Feature (Special Mention): “An Elephant Standing Still“
Golden Bear for Best Short Film: “The Men Behind The Wall”

2018 BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

The Berlin Film Festival is the first to introduce some of the upcoming international releases of the year and the 68th edition, which will be held on February 15th through the 25th, will open with the world premiere of Wes Anderson’ latest feature, “Isle of Dogs”. This stop-motion animated film tells the story of a future Japan where all dogs have been quarantined due to a “canine flu”. The dogs are fed up with their isolated existence until a young boy arrives in search of his dog and they all help in trying to find him. “Isle of Dogs”, featuring the voices of Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton and Yoko Ono, marks the second time Anderson has opened this fest following “The Grand Budapest Hotel” in 2014 (which won the Silver Bear Jury Prize ) and will open in the U.S. on March 23rd.



Tom Tykwer (best known here as the German director of the 1998 international hit, “Run Lola Run”) will head this year’s jury which will select all of the prizes. The other jury members includes Belgium actress, Cécile de France; Spanish photographer, Chema Prada; American film critic, Stephanie Zacharek; Japanese musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto and American producer, Adele Romanski.

The Berlinale Classics section will present the world premieres of seven films that have been digitally restored. This includes Wim Wenders’ 1987 prize-winner, "Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin), "My 20th Century (Az én XX. századom)", the 1989 black & white, fairy tale which pays homage to silent films by Hungarian director, Ildikó Enyedi, (who is up for a Best Foreign-Language Oscar this year for her film, "On Body and Soul") and "Fail Safe", Sidney Lumet's intense Cold War drama from 1964.







And Willem Dafoe, who is nominated for an Oscar this year for his performance in “The Florida Project“, will receive an Honorary Golden Bear for life-time achievement. Some of his notable films will be screened including his first major screen appearance in “To Live and Die in L.A.”, “The Last Temptation of Christ “, “Mississippi Burning”, “Shadow of a Vampire”, “Antichrist”, and “Platoon “.

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014)

Written & Directed by Wes Anderson



Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. March 17, 2014  5:30 PM


"The Grand Budapest Hotel", the latest by writer/director Wes Anderson, is a rich and creamy confection filled with gorgeously detailed production design and charming offbeat film actors sprinkled throughout. And just like a sugary treat, while you may enjoy all of the brief, pleasurable sensations that "The Grand Budapest Hotel" may bring, it will still leave you hungry for a complete meal.

If you are at all familiar with the work of Mr. Anderson, then you'll know that there tends to be more of a stronger emphasis on whimsical style than substance. And that's perfectly fine as this gifted director knows exactly what he's doing. His fixated attention to the finest of details makes his films delightful little treasures. Now, if this were, say twenty minutes long, the film would be perfect but stretched out at closer to two hours, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" over stays it's welcome.

The film begins in the present day with the unnamed writer (played by Tom Wilkinson) of a book recalling his time spent at The Grand Budapest in the 1960's. We soon see the author as a younger man (Jude Law) as he meets Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), the current owner of the faded hotel and tells him the fascinating tale of how he became the proprietor.

Our main story takes place in the 1930's right on the verge of an impending global war. At this time, Zero (now played by Tony Revolori) was an eager, new bus boy at the hotel. He's greeted at first with disdain from M. Gustave H (an excellent Ralph Fiennes), the haughty concierge of this grand palace in the heart of the fictional European city of Zubrowka. But soon Zero becomes the concierge's protege and confidant. Although sexually ambiguous, Gustave has made a habit of discretely seducing the elderly and quite wealthy female patrons who frequent the hotel. One of his long-time admirers is the eighty-four year old, Madame Desgoffe-und-Taxis (Tilda Swinton) and they spend a lovely, romantic time together during her stay.

A few days after she checks out, Madame D is found dead under suspicious circumstances. During the reading of the will, Gustave discovers he has inherited a valuable painting which outrages her son, Dmitri (Adrien Brody). With the help of Zero, Gustave sneaks the painting out and hides it at the hotel for safe keeping until the dust settles. However, Gustave is arrested and imprisoned for the murder of Madame D. The faithful Zero comes to the rescue as he delivers tiny cakes with tiny tools hidden inside to help the innocent Gustave and his new-found jailhouse buddies breakout of prison. Meanwhile, Dmitri sends his murderous henchman (Willem Dafoe) out to track down the painting.

Inspired by the writings of Austrian novelist, Stefan Zweig, Mr. Anderson has crafted a zany, romantic farce with narration that gives an impression, at times, of a twisted fairy tale. What truly helps keep the proceedings rolling merrily along is the fine cast of players which include Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Jeff Goldblum, Saoirse Ronan along with Mr. Anderson's regulars, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Bill Murray (who has appeared in all of Anderson's films with the exception of his first) popping in for extended cameos. Because of his well-known work in intense dramas such as "Schindler's List", "The English Patient" and last year's "The Invisible Woman", Mr. Fiennes is not seen as much of a laugh riot but his marvelous work here should turn that idea on it's head. Wildly absurd yet highly charismatic, the actor is pure perfection as the bumbling concierge.

Regardless that this may not offer much more than scrumptious visual delights and the occasional comic zingers but due to Mr. Anderson's striking wit and sublime skills as a film maker, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is a compelling film you should see.