Steven Spielberg praised NBCUniversal Entertainment chair Donna Langley for moving to a 45-day exclusive theatrical window, accepted an award from the Motion Pictures Association, and sat down with Colman Domingo at CinemaCon on Wednesday to talk about his upcoming film Disclosure Day, a thriller about extraterrestrial life.

The subject has always fascinated him, as evident from some of his early work, especially because “It’s entirely shrouded in mystery,” he told Domingo, one of the films stars, in a Q&A on stage. “There are those who know exactly what is happening in our skies [and] this movie will cause you to ask a lot of questions.” The idea of interplanetary life was mostly a great story to tell 50 years ago in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, he said. But, in the years, since, the idea has become more widely accepted.

“This is a movie that needs to be experienced, and what you need to get from the beginning to the end is a seatbelt,” he said. Domingo. agreed.

MPA chief Charlie Rivkin presented Spielberg with the organization’s new America 250 Award, calling it “an honor and a thrill for all of us to celebrate a true icon … Sci-fi, comedy, adventure, history, musicals. For fans of every genre, Steven Spielberg defines what Americans think of when we think of movies.”

“I haven’t done a Western yet, so that’s next,” quipped the director.

This was his first appearance at the annual Las Vegas exhibition conference and he effusively thanked the assembled cinema owners — who greeted him like a hero — stressing the importance of exclusive windows, like Universal‘s recent 45-day commitment. “Do I hear 60?”