Love & Basketball, 12 Years A Slave, Bamboozled Voted For Preservation At Library of Congress’ National Film Registry

December 14, 2023
What other films do you think should be preserved?
Some classics of Black cinema will be added to into the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry, including 12 Years A Slave, Bamboozled, and Love & Basketball.
Every year, the Librarian of Congress names 25 motion pictures that are at least 10 years old that are looked at as “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. To date, there are 875 films in the registry. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden then consults with members of the National Film Preservation Board before making final selections. These Black classics made the cut out of 6,875 other titles also considered.
The Library of Congress has shared which films made it into its National Film Registry this year. Inductees include “12 Years a Slave”, “Love & Basketball”, and “Apollo 13”! Did your favorite make the list? pic.twitter.com/zbdzSrWFwN
Released in 2000, Bamboozled, directed by the legendary Spike Lee, showed a mixture of dark comedy and satire that exposed hypocrisy in the film industry. The film stars comedian Damon Wayans, a TV executive who gets tired of his ideas being rejected by his white boss. When he comes up with the idea for a racist minstrel show featuring Black performers in blackface, he is taken aback by its success.
“When I was writing this film, it was a good time for me to look back and see where we might be going in the future,” Lee said.
The movie is often described as one of Lee’s most underrated films.
Love & Basketball has become a classic since its 2000 release. The film follows the love story of childhood neighbors Monica and Quincy, played by Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. The two grow up to become college basketball stars but after bouts of miscommunication, the two break up and go their separate ways. When Quincy heads to the NBA, a career-ending injury brings Monica back into his life as the two realize they never stopped loving each other—or the game.
The film was the directorial debut of Gina Prince-Bythewood, who has since helmed The Woman King, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Old Guard.
Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture at the 2014 Academy Awards. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the film is based on the 1853 memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup, an African-American free man kidnapped and sold into slavery for 12 years before getting his freedom back. The all-star cast includes Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o, who won Best Supporting Actress.
Other movies added to the library include fan favorites like Home Alone, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Apollo 13, and Lady and The Tramp, according to Smithsonian Magazine.








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