The goal is to bring the tour to at least one city in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The National Film Registry was created in 1988. The films on tour are selected from the Registry and include a broad range of film types, dates and filmmakers. A Study of the Current State of American Film Preservation. More than half of all American films made before 1951 are lost forever.
Film is a fragile medium and motion pictures, both old and new, face deterioration problems.
The majority of American films do not receive this type of care and are in critical need of preservation. Funding for the tour comes from the James Madison Council, the Library's private sector advisory board. The Film Foundation, a group of leading film directors committed to film preservation, and Turner Classic Movies have provided additional support. Motion picture studios have generously provided new prints of the titles under their control. The preservation work of many organizations will be represented, including the Library of Congress, the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film and Video and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.