Today George Lucas received The National Medal Of Arts from President Obama in a ceremony that was held at the White House. In the official press release from the White House, George Lucas received this honor “for his contributions to American cinema. By combining the art of storytelling with boundless imagination and cutting-edge techniques, Mr. Lucas has transported us to new worlds and created some of the most beloved and iconic films of all time.”

President Obama presented Lucas with the award, where he also talked about the importance of storytelling, and how Star Wars changed movie special effects for a whole new generation. You can see President Obama present George Lucas with the medal in the video above, and below you can seen a video of the president talking about how Star Wars changed movie special effects forever.

Congratulations to George Lucas on receiving this special award.