“Sheepdog” is an incredibly powerful film that examines the issues faced by some Veterans seeking to reintegrate back into civilian life. The topics of Traumatic Brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress and Veteran suicide are all highlighted in a gritty and unvarnished manner. With an outstanding cast including Academy Award Nominee Virginia Madsen, Emmy Nominee Vondie Curtis Hall and SAG award Nominee Dominic Fumusa, the film has already won nine awards.
“Sheepdog” writer, director and lead actor Steven Grayhm joins us to share more about what went into his fourteen year “labor of love”. Following an automotive breakdown outside of Los Angeles, Steven’s tow truck driver shared some of the challenges he faced as a returning Veteran. Although Steven was shocked that someone would share such raw details with a stranger, he began to wonder how many other Veterans faced similar struggles.
Steven and his co-star Matt Dallas traveled across the country, meeting with Veterans, Gold Star families and mental health professionals seeking input. Steven also volunteered at the Veterans Hospital and participated in several Honor Flight events. He states that all the screen dialogue from the Vietnam Veteran character played by Hall came directly from conversations with actual Veterans.
One of the major challenges faced by Steven in getting the film made was the reticence of traditional movie studios to back a film with this subject matter. He also did not want to give up control over the final product, which would result in a film that would be less than genuine. He would eventually secure private funding to make the film.
In harmony with the mission of his production company Team House Studios, Steven employed multiple Veterans and Gold Star family members both in front of and behind the camera while making “Sheepdog”. He says this added to the authenticity of the film and reinforced the importance of the project to every member of the crew.
“Sheepdog” is “paying it forward” by partnering with the non-profit Vet Tix so that Veterans may personally own a copy of the film.
“Sheepdog” is available on all major streaming platforms, and I STRONGLY recommend everyone see this film.