Selected by the Visual Effects Branch.

George Lucas’s homage to the pulpy tradition of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon changed the face of cinema and revolutionized visual effects. Combining classic techniques such as matte paintings and miniatures with the then-new technology of motion control photography, Star Wars imagined worlds, machines, and creatures that remain cinematic touchstones. A Best Picture nominee, the record-breaking hit won six Oscars including Visual Effects, as well as received a Special Achievement Award for Ben Burtt’s imaginative sound creations.

The Branch Selects program is made possible in part by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology.

Academy Museum film programming is generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.