ABERDEEN - At the end of a discussion in the round Saturday morning during the South Dakota Film Festival, Kevin Costner emphasized to students the importance of friendships. He told students to make sure they visit when their friends have a baby or one of their children has a graduation.

Friendship explains, in part, why he came to Aberdeen for the South Dakota Film Festival.

"Obviously, I have an affinity for this state. I have a long history here. My parents live in South Dakota. I have businesses here. I made 'Dances with Wolves' here," he said at a news conference Saturday.

But his friendship with Aberdeen businessman Norg Sanderson had a lot to do with his trip to Aberdeen this past weekend. Sanderson is president of Student Loan Finance Corp.

"Norg has such a pride of South Dakota, and with the film festival, he really thought it was important that I would come. He's become a friend, and when a friend feels something is important, it suddenly becomes important to you," he said.

"Norg has taken an interest in Tatanka, something that we've established out in Deadwood. It's an information center, very humble. Norg has always appreciated that, as he's appreciated the history of his own state, and feels like that's a history that's been largely overlooked within this state and around. He feels like there's a lot of to offer, and there's a lot of pride where South Dakota is concerned."

Costner's parents, who are now 80, moved to Spearfish after spending the majority of their lives in Southern California.

"When I was making 'Dances with Wolves,' they came out and watched me make it," he said. "The area spoke to them, spoke to their sensibilities, that there was open space out here, that things that my father loved to do, hunting and fishing, were available to him."

When his parents were 75, they bought a Harley-Davidson.

"They ride a Harley to this day. It's funny, because they get tired. So my dad can only ride it half way. Then, my mom drives him home."

These days, Costner doesn't get to South Dakota a lot. "There was a moment of time when I was spending a lot of time, when I was trying to build the Dunbar," he said, referring to his proposed casino resort.

"Hopefully, someday that dream will be completed. I don't know for sure. But no, I'm not able to spend as much time out here as I would like. The geographic distance is pretty great."

Costner, 54, lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Vail, Colo., but he owns a stake in the Midnight Star Casino in Deadwood. "Well, it's going good," he said when asked how that casino was doing. The casino employs "from 75 to over 100."

"We've managed to employ a lot of people over a long period of time. During even this economic downturn, we haven't closed our doors, and kept people in their jobs. I feel really good about that."