MUMBAI:For the first time ever a music video has been added to the US national film archive. Michael Jackson's Thriller, the 1983 zombie classic is among 25 films that will be preserved for their cultural importance.

The 1979 made Muppet Movie and Bette Davis's black and white classic Jezebel are the other new entrants to the library.

The archive, established 20 years ago, ensures important films are preserved for future generations'. Oscar-winning films that made the cut include Jezebel, which won Davis her second Academy Award.

Mrs Miniver made in 1942 won the Academy Award for best picture among its haul of six trophies. Science fiction classic The Incredible Shrinking Man has been added to the archive, while the oldest film is Little Nemo from 1911.

Said National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) co-ordinator Steve Legett, "The time was right for Thriller's inclusion after Jackson's death earlier this year. Because of the way the recording industry is evolving and changing, we thought it would be good to go back to the development of an earlier seismic shift, the development of the music video."

The landmark video, directed by John Landis features Jackson as a werewolf and zombie, helped the star to promote Thriller around the world.

The final 25 films are picked every year from hundreds of public nominations and consultation with the NFPB.