Here's a video of President Barack Obama giving the National Medal of Arts (and a big hug) to George Lucas during a ceremony in the White House's East Room this afternoon.


The White House announced last week that Lucas would receive the award because he had "transported us to new worlds and created some of the most beloved and iconic films of all time." At the ceremony, President Obama spoke about the importance of fantasy storytelling and recent improvements in special effects, as you can see below.



You can watch the full medal ceremony here: