Dad Jon Voight Joins Angelina Jolie and Her Kids at Premiere – How They've Reconnected
Thursday’s New York City premiere of the new movie First They Killed My Father was a family affair for Angelina Jolie.
Not only was the 42-year-old actress and director joined at the Director’s Guild Theater by all six of her children — Maddox, 16, Pax, 13, Shiloh, 11, Zahara, 12, and 9-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne — but her father Jon Voight was also there.
The Coming Home actor, 78, was all smiles in a classic navy suit, which he paired with a light blue shirt and charcoal crosshatch tie.
Jolie, meanwhile, showed off her tattoos in a low-cut, strapless Dior Haute Couture gown with an accordion pleated bodice. The Oscar winner accessorized her designer ensemble with diamond necklace and earrings, complete with a bold red lip.
It was a sweet night out for Jolie and Voight, who had previously been estranged for nearly seven years.
The two ended their feud in 2010 at the urging of Jolie’s ex Brad Pitt, 53, who convinced the actress to mend fences.
For more on Angelina Jolie, pick up this week’s cover of PEOPLE, on newsstands now
Since then, Jolie and Voight have been spending time together.
“He’s been very good at understanding they needed their grandfather at this time,” she told Vanity Fair in July. “I had to do a therapy meeting last night and he was just around. He knows kind of the rule—don’t make them play with you. Just be a cool grandpa who’s creative, and hang out and tell stories and read a book in the library.”
In May, the father/daughter duo were spotted together at a sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills alongside Pax, Zahara, Vivienne and Knox — where a source told PEOPLE the kids gave their granddad gifts and Jolie and Voight exchanged hugs.
“They were all very happy,” the insider said PEOPLE. “They sat at a table inside for about two hours.”
Voight, who also attended the 2010 premiere of Jolie’s movie Salt along with his son, told PEOPLE in 2010 that distance didn’t put a damper on the relationship he was building with his daughter and grandchildren.
“It’s hard for me to be away from my grandkids, yes, but I’ll stay in touch with them,” Voight said.”Thank God we have this technology, and you know, we use all of it.”
Meanwhile, Jolie had a lot to celebrate Thursday at the First They Killed My Father premiere. Not only did she direct and collaborate on the film’s screenplay, but she also got a chance to work with Maddox and Pax on the project behind-the-scenes.
Based on Cambodian-born human rights activist Luong Ung’s memoir, First They Killed My Father documents her experience as a young girl under the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge. The film is a passion project for Jolie, who said she was motivated to make the film by Maddox, who was born in Cambodia.
Maddox told PEOPLE exclusively in the magazine’s new cover story with Jolie that he pitched in on meetings, prepped for shoots and helped review dailies on the drama Jolie directed for Netflix. Pax was also part of the production and served as a set photographer.
“I was trying to help wherever I could,” Maddox says, also adding that his famous mother is “fun, funny, and easy to work with. She’s a wonder.”
First They Killed My Father is in theaters and on Netflix now.