Last night, the Visual Effects Society Awards were held in Los Angeles.  The very best of 2014’s visual effects artists were honored with trophies throughout the night, but the VES also handed out a special Visionary Award to a filmmaker with a lot of experience in the realm of effects work: J.J. Abrams.

The director behind Star Trek, Mission: Impossible 3, Super 8, and of course the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens gave a heartfelt and humorous acceptance speech during the ceremony, in which he recounted some words of wisdom he received from an autograph by legendary visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull. He also discussed his first brush with moviemaking as a kid, going on the Universal Studios tour and being amazed by all the special effects on display. And during his “thank yous,” he singled out Kathleen Kennedy “for saying the words, ‘Do you want to direct Star Wars?’”

Below, you can watch the video of Abrams’ full acceptance speech from the ceremony. And if you missed our exclusive interview with Abrams on the red carpet, during which he discussed The Force Awakens, click here.

Abrams starts talking around 3:50.