The film commissioned by Whanganui Iwi and shown on Wednesday night was a labour of love and goes out with love to be shared by one and all, spokesman Gerrard Albert says.
He was one of two speakers before the screening began at Wanganui's Embassy 3 Cinemas.
The biggest of the three theatres was booked out for the event, which was preceded by snacks and punch served in the foyer.
The 67-minute documentary Te Awa Tupua is a taonga produced for the iwi.
Mr Albert acknowledged some of those pictured who had come back in spirit, and "the many pakeha friends who understand the injustices of the past and stood with our people in solidarity".
The film was made by Paora Joseph, who handed the award it received at the New Zealand International Film Festival back to the iwi. He has connections to Putiki Marae and was commissioned to film Raukotahi, a four-day iwi summit in February-March last year. He enlarged his assignment into an account of the tribes' struggle to guard and protect the river.
There's lots of footage of the protest occupation of Pakaitore/Moutoa Gardens in 1995 - with shouting, running and a protester dragged along the ground. One of those pictured then was a young, long-haired Ken Mair. Others were elders, who were staunch in their determination to stay on, despite shots fired at the gardens from across the river. It talked of the Tira Hoe Waka, the tribe's annual river pilgrimage and wananga (time of learning), and there was happy, healthy footage of young and old taking part in sport and waka ama and learning about finance and governance at the 2013 summit. The film was full of faces familiar to the audience - the late Te Manawanui Pauro, Manu Metekingi, Rangitihi Tahuparae and Morvin Simon and the living Jay Rerekura, Turama Hawira, Che Wilson, Piripi Haami and Hannah Rainforth.
The film was first shown for Maori, and Mr Albert said it would now go out to others to add to their understanding.