Overview:
Indie film "Sheepdog" will have a first-look screening at the Garden Cinemas on Jan. 9, ahead of its nationwide release on Jan. 16. The film, directed and written by Greenfield resident Steven Grayhm, tells the story of a U.S. Army veteran's journey of personal growth while living with PTSD. The film was shot primarily in Turners Falls and Greenfield, with the cast and crew made up of local residents, including 17 military veterans as extras. The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Grayhm and an after-party at the Hangar Pub and Grill.
GREENFIELD — The award-winning, low-budget indie film “Sheepdog,” which was filmed in Franklin County, will have an exclusive screening at the Garden Cinemas on Friday, Jan. 9, to celebrate the local cast, crew and supporters ahead of its nationwide release in theaters.
At 6:30 p.m., the Garden Cinemas, located at 361 Main St., will screen the two-hour film ahead of its Jan. 16 national release in more than 500 local and chain theaters across the United States. The screening will feature a question-and-answer session with the film’s director, and an after-party at the Hangar Pub and Grill at 30 Federal St. is expected to start at around 9 p.m.
The film was shot primarily in Turners Falls and Greenfield, with the cast and crew made up of local residents, including 17 military veterans as extras. Scenes featured the former Strathmore mill complex and a uniform from the Montague Police Department was worn by actor Dominic Fumusa’s character in the film.
The film, directed and written by Greenfield resident Steven Grayhm, is making its nationwide debut 14 years after he began the process of researching, writing and filming. In 2025, “Sheepdog” spent the year on the nationwide film festival circuit, earning 15 awards and garnering admiration from those who connected with the story of a U.S. military veteran’s journey of personal growth while living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“It’s the best way to begin this next new, exciting chapter is [by coming] back to our grassroots, back to the foundation, which is the community,” Grayhm said about bringing the film back to the region where it was filmed. “And isn’t that the story in the movie, that it takes the community to come together?”
The feature-length film shows the reality for many veterans who struggle with PTSD, but with a unique perspective on the post-traumatic growth (PTG) that can be possible from community compassion and personal growth. Grayhm shares that this film is unique, both for the angle it takes on the experience of veterans, but also for its budget, while still making it into 500 theaters across the country.
The film begins by focusing on U.S. Army veteran Calvin Cole (played by Grayhm), who returns from his final deployment in Afghanistan. Cole is court-ordered to receive treatment for PTSD. He works with Veterans Affairs trauma therapist Dr. Elecia Knox (Virginia Madsen), and his father-in-law and Vietnam War veteran Whitney St. Germain (Vondie Curtis-Hall) comes back into his life unexpectedly.
The film showcases the ups and downs of living with PTSD and its impact not just on the individual experiencing the disorder, but their family, friends and the wider community.
Grayhm shared how there were a few moments during the film festival circuit that stood out to him. These include the film being embraced by Gold Star mothers and families after a screening in Annapolis, Maryland, members of the National Association of Social Workers sharing their connection to the story, and hearing from Vietnam veterans at the Sedona International Film Festival who shared their admiration for the film’s accuracy.
“That’s just a profound, humbling experience,” Grayhm said about the feedback at the Sedona screening. “We started to see veterans and mental health workers, Gold Star family members with their families across the country, standing up in front of full auditoriums at the end of our screenings, professing their praise for the film, and that’s everything to us.”
Some of the accolades “Sheepdog” has earned include the Jury Award at the Naples International Film Festival, Best Screenplay and Best Actor for the Beverly Hills 25th Film Festival, and Best New Director at the GI Film Festival in San Diego.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman coined the term “sheepdog,” for which the film is named, in his book “On Combat.” Grossman has said the film is “powerful, lyrical” and “deeply moving.”
Isaac Mass, co-owner of the Garden Cinemas and a former member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, said he’s been keeping track of the film as it went through the festival circuit. He said the theater is very excited to be able to show the film a week before the national release.
For Mass, he wants to be able to serve the local veteran community well, noting his personal service and the Garden Cinemas being a veteran-owned business.
“We have a very large veteran community in Franklin County,” Mass said. “We want to make sure that our veteran community is well-served. That means seeing themselves reflected on the screen, as well as hearing stories that they can relate to.”
Grayhm said that to him, the biggest takeaway of the film for veterans is the message that it’s OK to not be OK, and resources are here to help. He added that there are ways systems can be improved for veterans in need, but that awareness by the larger civilian population of the struggles veterans face after returning to civilian life is a first step toward change.
“That’s why I really hope that this is the conversation starter to bring people together and to inform that awareness [around veterans’ struggles],” he said. “There is no movie like ours that takes up 10 years after that last deployment. There’s so much life that is lived in those 10 years.”
Tickets for the screening of “Sheepdog” are available on the Garden Cinemas website at a price of $11.50 for adults, and $8.50 for veterans, senior citizens, children and students. The film is rated R.