Kevin Costner Joined by 5 of His Kids at “Horizon ”L.A.“ ”Premiere: 'They're Watching Over Me' (Exclusive)

"I brought them with me to France, but they're anxious to see it with no subtitles," the 'Horizon' actor/director told PEOPLE of his kids on the red carpet

Kevin Costner is one proud dad.

The Academy Award winner was joined by five of his seven children on Monday, June 24, as he celebrated the Los Angeles premiere of his Western epic Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1, held at the Regency Village Theatre.

Costner, 69, posed for photos on the red carpet in the middle of his kids: Annie, 40, Joe, 36, Cayden, 17, Grace, 14, and 15-year-old Hayes, who appears in the film. The actor's daughter Lily, 37, and son Liam, 27, were not present at the event.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Costner — who directed, co-wrote and stars in the multi-part Horizon — says he was soaking up the moment, after decades of thinking about bringing the film to life.

"For a studio [distributor Warner Bros.] to line up behind it to create this environment for us, to celebrate this movie we worked so hard for and one I've dreamed about so long, it's pretty gratifying to understand my children are somewhere watching over me, which they always do — you can imagine that feeling," he shares.

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Related: Inside Kevin Costner's Life as a Dad of 7: Lobster Dives, Volleyball Practice and Being an 'Uber Guy' (Exclusive)

As for whether his kids have seen Horizon, Costner notes that they saw it with him at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

"I brought them with me to France, but they're anxious to see it with no subtitles," he tells PEOPLE, laughing.

Costner shares Annie, Lily and Joe with ex-wife Cindy Silva, as well as son Liam with former partner Bridget Rooney.

The Wyatt Earp star married his now-ex-wife, designer Christine Baumgartner, in September 2004, and they went on to welcome Cayden, Hayes and Grace.

Related: Kevin Costner Makes Rare Appearance with 5 of His Kids as They Walk Red Carpet at Cannes Film Festival

During a speech ahead of the screening Monday night, Costner reflected on the "true journey" of bringing Horizon to life, and expressed gratitude for those who helped do so — including the cast, who "breathe[d] life into this story that started to bubble up in 1988."

"My heart feels really big tonight," he said. "The movies remind me of how I want to be, how I want to behave in certain instances. They've always been that kind of example to me. I know who I want to be on-screen and I know who I don't. And this Western movie will challenge you, and it will be obvious who you want to be and who you don't want to be. And to think about this journey west and the resourcefulness it took to get there. You have it."

"If you ever guess, '[Was I] tough enough?', you are," Costner continued. "You could have survived out there, but it was chance. And I've tried to make a movie about that — this march from sea to shining sea. So take this ride West."

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 is in theaters June 28, followed by Chapter 2 on Aug. 16.

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