Kevin Costner gets epic standing ovation for 'Horizon: An American Saga,' moved to tears

Kevin Costner got emotional during a prolonged standing ovation for his new film, "Horizon: An American Saga," at Cannes Film Festival.

The actor received a warm reception to his first directorial effort in 11 years at the festival on Sunday with the crowd chanting and clapping for between 7 and 11 minutes, which brought the 69-year-old to tears, as seen in video shared by Variety.

"I'm sorry you had to clap that long for me to understand that I should speak,” said Costner, according to the Huffington Post and People.

The film is the first part of four installments of Costner's upcoming Western "Horizon: An American Saga." The "Yellowstone" actor directs, produces, co-writes and stars in the film series.

"Such good people. Such a good moment, not just for me, but for the actors who came with me, for people who believed in me, who continued to work," Costner continued, according to the outlets. "It's a funny business, and I'm so glad I found it. There's no place like here.

"I'll never forget this," he told the audience, including his kids in the front row. "Neither will my children."

After the screening, Costner posed with five of his seven children: Cayden Costner, 17, Lily Costner, 37, Grace Costner, 13, Hayes Costner, 15, and Annie Costner, 40.

Costner's last directing effort was 2003's "Open Range."

"Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1" is set for a United States release on June 28. "Chapter 2," is set for Aug. 16.

The series was developed amid Costner's drama-filled role in the Paramount Network series "Yellowstone," in which he played patriarch John Dutton through the first half of Season 5.

Costner said he was open to returning to the Western drama despite his surprise exit after five seasons.

"I'd like to be able to do it but we haven't been able to," Costner told Entertainment Tonight last month of his hopes to return. "I thought I was going to make seven (seasons) but right now we're at five."

He added: "Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with (it), I'd love to do it."

The Oscar-winning actor spoke about his "Yellowstone" departure for the first time during a September child support hearing in Santa Barbara, California. The hearing stemmed from Costner's divorce from Christine Baumgartner, which was finalized in February.

Costner testified that a "long, hard-fought negotiation" over splitting Season 5 of the Western saga into two parts was the final straw forcing his decision to leave the Paramount Network series, according to People and Fox News.

The second half of Season 5 is expected to drop in November.

Contributing: Naledi Ushe

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Costner in tears over Horizon: An American Saga standing ovation