GAZETTE
Volume 34, No. 48
December 15, 2023
A weekly publication for staff
LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
INSIDE
NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY
New Registry Titles
Read about the 25 films added to the
National Film Registry this week for
their cultural, historical or aesthetic
importance.
PAGE 3
Why Give
Michele Sellars of the Researcher
Engagement and General Collections
Division discusses her participation in
the Combined Federal Campaign.
PAGE 5
Leaving the Library
Before you retire or otherwise sepa-
rate from the Library, the Office of the
General Counsel has some important
reminders.
PAGE 6
Holiday Scams
The Library of Congress Federal Credit
Unions suggests ways to protect your-
self from common scams during the
holiday season.
PAGE 7
On Tap
Jazz and Stradivari concerts, an over-
view of cartoon art and an Irish fiddler
to feature at the Library next week.
PAGE 7
The newest selections include a diverse group of films, filmmakers and Hollywood
landmarks.
Pathbreaking Titles Added to
the National Film Registry
This year’s selections reflect the breadth of
experiences in American culture and history.
Twenty-five influential films have
been selected for the 2023
National Film Registry, Librarian of
Congress Carla Hayden announced
Wednesday.
Chosen for their cultural, histori-
cal or aesthetic importance to the
nation’s film heritage, the newest
selections date back more than
100 years to a 1921 Kodak educa-
tional film, “A Movie Trip Through
Filmland.” The most recent addi-
tions are 2013’s Oscar-winning “12
Years a Slave” and the Oscar-win-
ning documentary “20 Feet from
Stardom” about contributions of
backup singers to some of music’s
biggest hits.
This year’s entries reflect the
“breadth of experiences in Amer-
ican culture, in American history,”
Jacqueline Stewart, chair of the
National Film Preservation Board
(NFPB) at the Library, said.
Stewart is a film historian, Turner
Classic Movies (TCM) host and
director and president of the
NFR, CONTNUED ON 8
2 DECEMBER 15, 2023
GAZETTE
loc.gov/staff/gazette
APRIL SLAYTON
Executive Editor
MARK HARTSELL
Publications Editor
WENDI A. MALONEY
Writer-Editor
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Elaina Finkelstein, calendar
Amy McAllister, donated leave
PROOFREADER
George Thuronyi
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Ashley Jones
MISSION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The Library’s central mission is to engage,
inspire and inform Congress and the American
people with a universal and enduring source of
knowledge and creativity.
ABOUT THE GAZETTE
An official publication of the Library of Congress,
The Gazette encourages Library managers and
staff to submit articles and photographs of
general interest. Submissions will be edited to
convey the most necessary information.
Back issues of The Gazette in print are available
in the Communications Office, LM 143. Electronic
archived issues and a color PDF file of the current
issue are available online at loc.gov/staff/gazette.
GAZETTE WELCOMES LETTERS FROM STAFF
Staff members are invited to use the Gazette for
lively and thoughtful debate relevant to Library
issues. Letters must be signed by the author,
whose place of work and telephone extension
should be included so we can verify authorship.
If a letter calls for management response, an
explanation of a policy or actions or clarification
of fact, we will ask for management response.—
Ed.
Library of Congress Gazette
Washington, DC 20540-1620
Editorial: Mark Hartsell, 7-9194, mhar[email protected],
or Wendi Maloney, 7-0979, [email protected]v
Design and production: Ashley Jones, 7-9193,
ISSN 1049-8184 (print)
ISSN 2831-5626 (online)
GAZETTE DEADLINES
The deadline for editorial copy for the Jan. 12
Gazette is Wednesday, Jan. 3.
Email editorial copy and letters to the editor to
mhart[email protected] and [email protected].
To promote events through the Library’s online
calendar (www.loc.gov/loc/events) and the
Gazette Calendar, email event and contact
information to [email protected]v by 9 a.m.
Monday of the week of publication.
Boxed announcements should be submitted
electronically (text files) by 9 a.m. Monday the
week of publication to mhar[email protected] and
LBRARY
OF CONGRESS
NOTICES
BLOOD DONATON DRVE
Jan. 10
8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Mumford Room
The Health Services Division is hosting a blood drive coinciding with National
Blood Donor Month in January. Schedule an appointment to donate blood
here.
In accordance with Library of Congress Regulation 9-1010.9.A, employees
who volunteer to donate blood or platelets to the American Red Cross or to
employees of the Library or their immediate families may be excused from
duty for a period of not more than four hours during that day for rest and
recuperation. This period begins at departure from the worksite.
Questions? Send an email to healthservice[email protected] or call (202) 707-8035.
DONATED TME
The following employees have satisfied eligibility requirements to receive
leave donations from other staff members. Contact Amy McAllister at
amcallis[email protected].
Janet E. Alger
Faiza F. Aziem
Christine J. Back
Kenneth Grant
Mary Lamb
Chenille D. Lowrance
Kathleen D. Mullen
Sonja Reid
Jennifer Sidley
CONTACTNG EMERGENCY SERVCES
During emergencies, the best way to contact the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP)
from the Capitol Hill campus depends on whether you are using a mobile or
landline telephone.
Dial 911 from internal Library phones to reach USCP’s 911 emergency dispatch.
From mobile phones, call (202) 707-7111.
If 911 is dialed from a mobile phone on Capitol Hill, you will reach the District of
Columbia Metropolitan Police dispatch.
At Library annex sites (Taylor Street, the Packard Campus, Fort Meade and
Cabin Branch), dial 911 from internal Library phones and personal and gov-
ernment-issued mobile phones to reach emergency services in the relevant
jurisdictions.
For more information on emergency preparedness, read the Library’s Emer-
gency Action Guide or contact the Security and Emergency Preparedness
Directorate at [email protected] or (202) 707-9398.
THE LBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 3
NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY
The 25 Films Chosen for the National Film Registry
ALAMBRSTA! 1977
Roberto, an undocumented Mex-
ican laborer working in the U.S.,
moves across vast landscapes,
meeting people he can’t be sure
are friend or foe, staying one step
ahead of immigration officials.
APOLLO 13 1995
Director Ron Howard’s retelling of
the near-tragic Apollo 13 space
mission is a master class in envel-
oping the audience in a compli-
cated technological exercise in
life-and-death problem solving.
BAMBOOZLED 2000
In this blend of dark comedy and
satire, filmmaker Spike Lee focuses
not on a believable plot but rather
on how Hollywood and television
have mistreated African Americans
over the decades.
BOHULANO FAMLY FLM
COLLECTON 1950S70S
Shot mostly in Stockton, Califor-
nia, the collection documents the
history of the Filipino community
during a period of significant
immigration.
CRUSN’ JTOWN 1975
This documentary tells the story
of the jazz fusion band Hiroshima
from Little Tokyo in Los Angeles.
A highlight is a cross-cultural jam
between Hiroshima and the Chi-
cano performing arts company El
Teatro Campesino.
DESPERATELY SEEKNG SUSAN
1985
The film featuring Rosanna
Arquette as an unhappy housewife
and Madonna as the bohemian
free-spirited Susan offers glimpses
into 1980s New York City, fashion
and music.
DNNER AT EGHT 1933
This ensemble film directed by
George Cukor about high society
features an all-star cast, arguably
one of the greatest assembled to
that point in cinema history.
EDGE OF THE CTY 1957
This psychological drama set
among New York City railroad
workers follows John Cassave-
tes as a troubled Army deserter
who reintegrates into society after
Sidney Poitier, playing a stevedore,
befriends him.
FAME 1980
Stylistically, the musical numbers
in this teen drama often resemble
music videos, and they influenced
other classic 1980s musicals like
“Footloose,” “Flashdance” and
“Dirty Dancing.”
HELEN KELLER N HER STORY
1954
Nancy Hamilton’s Academy
Award-winning documentary uses
news footage, photographs, inter-
views and original sequences to
tell the story of Helen Keller from
her birth to her early 70s.
HOME ALONE 1990
The young and deeply expres-
sive Macaulay Culkin became a
superstar thanks to this megahit,
which has become embedded
into American culture as a holiday
classic.
LADY AND THE TRAMP 1955
This exquisitely animated love
story between a spoiled cocker
spaniel and a mutt was arguably
the most sophisticated animation
and love story created by Disney
Studios up to this point.
THE LGHTED FELD 1987
In this avant-garde masterwork,
Andrew Noren combines archival
imagery with urban and domestic
images to evoke a twinned sense
of vitality and mortality.
4 DECEMBER 15, 2023
NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY
LOVE AND BASKETBALL 2000
This refreshing new take on the
rom-com genre follows a boy and
a girl as they pursue basketball
careers, sharing a mutual affection
for the game and an eventual love
for each other.
MATEWAN 1987
This John Sayles’ film drama-
tizes efforts in 1920 to unionize a
West Virginia company town and
the bloody battle that followed
between strikers and coal com-
pany thugs.
MAYA LN: A STRONG CLEAR
VSON 1994
Freida Lee Mock’s Oscar-winning
documentary tells the story of
Chinese American artist Maya Lin,
designer of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial on the National Mall, as
she eloquently defends herself
against critics.
A MOVE TRP THROUGH FLMLAND
1921
Filmed at Kodak Park in Roch-
ester, New York, this educational
film focuses on the production of
motion picture film stock and the
impact of movies on global
audiences.
THE NGHTMARE BEFORE
CHRSTMAS 1993
The king of dark whimsy, Tim
Burton won over an even larger
(and decidedly younger) crowd
with this delightful stop-motion
animated offering.
PASSNG THROUGH 1977
Director Larry Clark ruminates on
the centrality of jazz in African
American culture and attempts by
others to appropriate this legacy
for profit. Although rarely seen,
“Passing Through” ranks near the
top of the greatest jazz films.
QUEEN OF DAMONDS 1991
This landmark film takes a close
look at the desolation of daytime
Las Vegas, contrasting the lights,
noise and life of the nighttime city
to the quiet, lonely reality of its
residents.
TERMNATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
1991
In this sci-fi sequel, Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s mission
changes from ending the future of
humanity to ensuring its survival.
The film marks a technical mile-
stone in its use of computer-gen-
erated special effects.
12 YEARS A SLAVE 2013
One of the key films of the 2000s
and winner of the best picture
Oscar, “12 Years a Slave” offers a
raw, visceral look at slavery on a
Louisiana plantation.
20 FEET FROM STARDOM 2013
This Oscar-winning documentary
spotlights backup singers, the
unsung musical heroes who make
essential contributions to famous
songs while lurking in the shadows.
THE WEDDNG BANQUET 1993
In this groundbreaking Ang Lee
romantic comedy, a gay Taiwanese
American immigrant to New York
enters into a marriage of conve-
nience with a mainland Chinese
woman to please his parents.
WE’RE ALVE 1974
Filmed at the California Institution
for Women, then the largest wom-
en’s prison in the U.S., this docu-
mentary by three UCLA graduate
students is a blueprint for prison
reform that remains relevant
today. ▪
THE LBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 5
WHY I DONATE TO CFC
Library of Congress Archives/Manuscript Division
FROM THE ARCHIVES: HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights on Dec. 10, 1948 — 75 years ago this past Sunday. Few staff members at the
Library today likely know about the important role Archibald MacLeish, then the
Librarian of Congress, played in drafting the widely cited document.
MacLeish, appointed Librarian by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, empha-
sized international outreach during his tenure and built cultural ties with Great
Britain and Latin America.
First lady Eleanor Roosevelt, as chair of the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights, tapped MacLeish to draft the preamble to the declaration. He had earlier
drafted the preamble to the 1945 United Nations charter.
The Manuscript Division has the papers of MacLeish and other Librarians of Con-
gress. Find out more in the Guide to the Papers of the Librarians of Congress.
Christal Grant
Michele Sellars
Michele Sellars, assistant chief
of the Researcher Engagement
and General Collections Division,
discusses her participation in
the Combined Federal Campaign
(CFC). She is a co-manager of the
Library’s 2023 CFC drive.
What inspires you to donate
through CFC?
Donating through the CFC allows
me to support causes that I care
about and is an opportunity to
make a difference in local commu-
nities and in the global community.
I have been blessed throughout
my life, and it’s my way of giving
back in a very tangible way.
How do you decide which organi-
zations to support?
I generally spread my donations
over three organizations. Overall,
I look at organizations that have
both local and global impact on
groups and communities. These
include organizations that affect
the health and well-being of chil-
dren and youth or organizations
that do pioneering research to
combat diseases.
These organizations have per-
sonal meaning for me due to
family members or close friends
impacted by health concerns.
Lastly, I look for organizations that
support people in need of food,
housing or family support at the
local level.
What advice to you have for
potential donors?
Working as a co-campaign man-
ager for the CFC this year has
given me more of a firsthand look
at the types of organizations that
are supported through the CFC.
There are so many organizations
that provide assistance in a vari-
ety of ways; it’s sometimes hard
to decide which organization to
support. If you are unsure of the
organization you want to give to or
if you are looking for a new orga-
nization to support, take the time
to review the organization’s mis-
sion and values and read about its
impact in the community.
In addition to monetary donations,
some participating organizations
offer opportunities to volunteer.
If volunteering is something that
appeals to you, think about volun-
teering your time and skills for a
worthy cause.
Finally, I always give from my heart
and believe that my contributions,
along with the contributions of
others, can change lives. ▪
6 DECEMBER 15, 2023
NEWS
Leaving the Library? Here Are Some Reminders
Before you retire or otherwise
separate, the Office of the General
Counsel (OGC) has some important
reminders.
Separation Clearance
Start your separation clearance
by accessing the Human Capi-
tal Directorate (HCD) portal and
selecting the separation clear-
ance icon. Enter your separation
request in the system at least one
week before your last day in the
office. The system notifies sep-
aration clearance officers from
designated offices to confirm that
you have completed any travel
and billing matters, complied with
federal records requirements and
returned Library property, such as
your badge, keys, laptop, phone,
parking permit, property pass,
stack pass, books, purchase card,
travel card or escape hood.
You may consult with HCD special-
ists until your last day in the office
to ensure that all of your retire-
ment paperwork is in order, either
via the HCD portal or AskHR@loc.
gov.
Federal Records
Federal records may not leave the
Library, nor may they be destroyed
except in accordance with the
Library of Congress Records
Schedule (LRS). Your unit’s records
liaison will work with you to ensure
records remain with the Library
and can help identify nonrecord
materials you may take with you.
Please also see the exit proce-
dures quick guide on the Records
Management website for cleanup
and exit steps.
You may take only nonrecord
materials (e.g., copies of records
and reference materials) that have
been approved by your super-
visor and the Library’s records
officer on Form 1785, Request
for Removal of Non-Record
Materials. You may remove per-
sonal papers at any time with-
out the Library’s permission.
Financial Disclosure Filers
If you are a financial disclosure
filer, you must file a termination
report within 30 days of leaving
the Library. This report covers
financial activity through your last
day on the Library’s payroll. If you
are leaving the Library for another
federal job requiring public finan-
cial disclosure reports, however,
you are exempt from this require-
ment. OGC will send you a financial
disclosure package shortly after
you separate.
If you are a senior-level employee
paid at executive level 4 or higher,
18 U.S.C. 207 subjects you to a
one-year cooling-off period during
which your ability to communicate
with the Library on behalf of others
and to help a foreign government
attempt to influence the U.S. gov-
ernment are restricted.
Library Contract Administrators
If you are a contracting officer
representative (COR), or if you have
had another official role in Library
contracts, the Procurement Integ-
rity Act imposes two restrictions:
(1) You may not disclose contrac-
tor bid or proposal information
or source selection information
related to any pending contract
award. There is no time limit on
this restriction.
(2) You may not accept com-
pensation from a vendor whose
Library contract was valued at
more than $10 million (including
option years, amendments and
additional orders) for one year
after you served as a source
selection official or a program
manager or otherwise approved
the contract action.
Also, remember to close out old
contracts and transfer your COR
duties and files, if applicable.
Attorneys
If you are an attorney, then you
may be subject to postemploy-
ment restrictions imposed by pro-
fessional rules of conduct.
Retirement Parties
OGC is happy to advise organizers
and attendees so they can avoid
ethics pitfalls, including those
involving gifts to supervisors and
collection of party contributions.
Questions?
Contact OGC at ethics@loc.gov,
HCD at [email protected] or Records
Management at records@loc.gov. ▪
UPCOMNG HEALTH SERVCES TRANNGS
The Health Services Division will host two staff trainings in January.
Friends and Family CPR
Jan. 19, 8:30 a.m. to noon
LM 654
This class is open to all Library employees interested in learning how to per-
form cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on adults and children experienc-
ing cardiac arrest, how to use an automated external defibrillator and how to
assist individuals who are choking. Register here.
MERT Training
Jan. 23, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
LM 654
This class is for new and current members of the Library’s Medical Emergency
Response Team (MERT). The class provides certification in basic life support
and protective measures against blood-borne pathogens. MERT members
with certification cards dated 2022 must attend this class to renew their
certifications, and all new members need to complete this training as a team
membership requirement. Register here.
Questions? Contact Joe Nadzady at jnadz[email protected] or (202) 707-4046.
THE LBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 7
CALENDARRESOURCES FOR STAFF
Concert: Grammy Award-win-
ning jazz artist Cecile McLorin Sal-
vant performs with her quintet. 8
p.m., Coolidge Auditorium. Contact:
7-8000.
Concert: Dalí Quartet and clarinet-
ist Ricardo Morales perform in the
Stradivari anniversary concert. 8
p.m., Coolidge Auditorium. Precon-
cert conversation with the artists,
6:30 p.m. Contact: 7-8000.
Webinar: Overview of cartoon art in
the Prints and Photographs Division
collections. 3 p.m., online. Contact:
Cafe Concert: Award-winning
Irish fiddler Seán Heely performs.
6:15 p.m., Great Hall. Contact:
Film: “The Nightmare Before Christ-
mas.” 6:30 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium.
Contact: 7-8000.
15 FRDAY
18 MONDAY
20 WEDNESDAY
21 THURSDAY
Request ADA accommodations
for events five business days in
advance at 7-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.
See www.loc.gov/events
How to Protect Yourself from
Holiday Scams
BY JENNIFER HURST
The holidays are a great time for
family and friends. Don’t make it a
great time for fraudsters, too. They
know this is a busy time for every-
one and that many people may be
distracted.
A little awareness of the common
scams could help keep you, your
family and your account informa-
tion safe this holiday season.
Delivery Scams
Online orders are a very conve-
nient way to get products these
days. Fraudsters know online
orders increase over the holidays.
All scammers want you to act
quickly without questioning them.
If you receive a text or an email
message with a link about a deliv-
ery, take a good look before you
click. It is not unusual for a phony
text or email to ask you to click a
link to get a delivery date update,
track the package, ask your pay-
ment preference, add delivery
instructions or even pay a fee.
Be careful — it doesn’t hurt to slow
down and look for misspellings
and examine the company logo to
see if it looks right. For email, you
can hover over the “from” email
address and see if it appears to
be the company or not. If you click
on a suspicious link, it could infect
your phone or computer with a
virus or take you to a malicious
website that asks for personal
information you do not want to
provide.
It is better to go directly to the
website where you placed the
order and check on any delivery
issues there.
If you receive a phone call or a
voicemail about a package, don’t
give out information. Call the com-
pany directly to make sure the
request is legitimate.
Gift Cards
A popular holiday item is the
gift card. These are a favorite of
scammers, too.
You may get a fake email or text
message that looks as if it is
from someone you know. It could
appear to be from a co-worker, a
friend or a relative who needs your
help asking you to buy several gift
cards.
Be suspicious of this. Why would
this person need your help? How
do you know it is really from the
person and not someone imper-
sonating the individual? Does
that person usually ask you for
help with this kind of transaction?
Contact the individual directly to
confirm that it is valid before you
do anything.
Social Media
Who doesn’t love something
for free, especially during the
holidays?
Scammers love promotions or
contests offering “free” gift cards
or vouchers if you fill out an online
survey, and these can show up on
social media. Avoid filling out such
surveys — they are trying to get
your account and personal infor-
mation for identity theft or other
scams.
For more information about fraud,
visit the Services/Member Security
Education section of the website
of the Library of Congress Federal
Credit Union. ▪
OG WOULD LKE TO KNOW
Report suspected illegal activities,
waste, fraud, abuse and misman-
agement in Library of Congress
administration and operations to the
Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
A link to all Library regulations is
available on the staff intranet.
To make a report, contact OIG via the
online form here or report by mail to
101 Independence Ave., S.E., LM 630,
Washington, D.C., 20540-1060.
8 DECEMBER 15, 2023
Academy Museum of Motion
Pictures. She and Librarian of
Congress Carla Hayden dis-
cusssed and screened selected
registry additions during a TCM
television special last night.
“We’re grateful to the film com-
munity for collaborating with
the Library of Congress in
our goal to preserve the her-
itage of cinema for genera-
tions to come,” Hayden said.
Hayden noted inclusion this year
of Asian American experiences,
such as “Cruisin’ J-Town” about
jazz musicians in Los Angeles’
Little Tokyo, specifically the band
Hiroshima. She also cited the
Bohulano Family Film collection,
home movies from the 1950s to
the 1970s made by a family in the
Filipino community in Stockton,
California, and the documentary
“Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Vision,”
which showcases Lin’s journey
in creating the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Hollywood additions include the
space drama “Apollo 13,” the holi-
day classic “Home Alone,” Disney’s
1955 animation “Lady and the
Tramp,” the sci-fi sequel “Termi-
nator 2: Judgment Day” and the
Halloween and holiday favorite
“The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“Love and Basketball,” which has
attracted new audiences over
the years as an inspiring love
story, also joined the lineup.
The selections this year
bring the number of films
on the registry to 875.
Since his first childhood role as
Opie on “The Andy Griffith Show”
to his later acting in “Happy Days”
and “American Graffiti,” Ron
Howard has been associated with
midcentury American innocence.
In “Apollo 13,” he returned to
that ideal as a director, tell-
ing the story of a 1970 failed
lunar landing that turned into a
heart-stopping triumph of Amer-
ican ingenuity in bringing the
crew safely back to Earth.
“It’s a very honest, heartfelt
reflection of something that was
very American, which was the
space program in that time and
what it meant to the country
and to the world,” Howard said.
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s break-
out hit in 2000, “Love and
Basketball,” was an intensely
personal project and her fea-
ture film directorial debut.
She was a high-school basketball
and track star, then ran track at
the University of California, Los
Angeles, where she studied in the
university’s prestigious film school.
After graduation, she wrote for
television and found herself
longing to write a Black ver-
sion of the romantic comedy
“When Harry Met Sally.”
“I was really discouraged that
there weren’t Black love sto-
ries,” she said. “I wanted to
see myself in a love story.”
She quit her TV job to work on
the script for “Love and Basket-
ball,” which brought together
both of her passions.
“It’s a love story set in a bas-
ketball world,” Prince-Bythe-
wood said. “A great deal of this
film was autobiographical.”
Steve McQueen, director of the
Academy Award-winning “12 Years
a Slave,” said he was attracted
to the story of the film’s real-life
protagonist, Solomon Northup.
The film, which won Best Pic-
ture in 2013, is based on Nor-
thup’s memoir of the same
name. It recounts how he was
kidnapped in Washington, D.C.,
then put on the auction block.
After eventually rewinning his
freedom, Northup began a new
life as a fierce abolitionist.
McQueen said he took on the
subject in part because slav-
ery hadn’t been given enough
recognition within the nar-
rative of cinema history.
“I wanted to address it for that
reason, but also because it was a
subject which had so much to do
with how we live now,” he said. “It
wasn’t just something which was
dated. It was something which is
living and breathing, because you
see the evidence of slavery today.”
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s
1993 romantic comedy, “The
Wedding Banquet,” is about a gay
man trying to keep his Taiwanese
family happily ignorant of his life
in America, a modern twist on a
familiar tale of family traditions
clashing with new generations.
Lee based the story on his own
wedding experience in New York
City — a quick ceremony in court,
at which his mother cried — and
on the story of a gay Chinese male
friend who staged a wedding to a
Chinese woman to please his con-
servative parents back in China.
The centerpiece of the story,
an over-the-top wedding ban-
quet, is a part of Chinese soci-
ety that fascinates Lee.
“Chinese are really conservative,
reserved people, but the wedding
banquets are totally outrageous,”
he said. “Wedding banquets are so
rowdy, so out of line. It makes for
great comedy and great drama.”
Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” is a
2000 satire of blackface in cinema.
The film got mixed reviews from
critics and wasn’t a commercial
hit. But Lee said he was not overly
concerned about audience reac-
tion to the film because he wanted
to show the truth as he saw it.
“One of the most powerful
sequences I think I’ve done is
the closing scenes of ‘Bamboo-
zled,’ where we show historically,
visually, the hatefulness of white
people in blackface. Judy Gar-
land, Mickey Rooney, Eddie Cantor
… just the debasement of who
we are as a people,” Lee said.
From film school at New York
University, Lee recalls the lack
of insight his professors had
for racist content. When they
screened “Birth of a Nation,”
he said, “all they talked about
was the great techniques or
that D.W. Griffith was called the
father of cinema. But they never
talked about the fact that this
film gave new life to the Klan.”
“Alambrista!” is an immigrant story
about a farmer in Mexico who
NFR, CONTNUED FROM 1
THE LBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 9
comes to the U.S. as an undocu-
mented worker. The small-budget
1977 film is shot in a documen-
tary style, often with a shaky
handheld camera that wanders
between and around actors.
Chon Noriega, a UCLA scholar of
Latino film, said first-time feature
director Robert Young achieved an
original and unusual viewpoint.
“The film offers a very differ-
ent view of the United States,
and it’s not one that’s based
on analysis or critique or poli-
tics. It’s based on observation,”
Noriega said. “And what you see
in this film is what the United
States looks like from the point
of view of a migrant worker.”
Freida Lee Mock won the 1994
Academy Award for Best Docu-
mentary for “Maya Lin: A Strong,
Clear Vision.” It tells the story of
the artist famed for creating the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the
National Mall and the Civil Rights
Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama.
Mock first heard of Lin in 1981
when she read a newspaper arti-
cle about the controversial design
that Lin, then an architectural
student at Yale University, had
created for the D.C. memorial.
“I saw the name Maya Lin and
because it was an Asian Amer-
ican name, it caught my eye
since I, too, am Asian American,”
Mock said. “I was stunned by
her comments to critics of her
design and how she was pre-
cise and quite ironically funny.”
Each year, the Librarian makes 25
annual registry selections after
conferring with NFPB members and
Library specialists. Titles suggested
by the public through loc.gov/film
are also considered; more than
6,875 were nominated this year,
several of them drawing significant
support, including “Home Alone”
and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
The Library’s National Audio-Visual
Conservation Center works with
copyright holders, filmmakers,
archives and scholars to ensure
that films on the National Film
Registry are preserved and made
available for future generations.
Select National Film Registry titles
are available for free online viewing
in the National Screening Room.
For more information or
to nominate a film, visit
the film registry site. ▪
