Rob Grabow's "Year of the Dog," an independent Montana film, was released digitally in early April 2023 after being shown in 20-30 states, an unusually successful year for an independent movie, according to Grabow.

After writing and acting in the film, Grabow attracted the attention of the Polson-based distribution company Nova Vento Entertainment. The company initially planned nine screenings of the film in Montana throughout fall 2022, but the film would eventually be shown in over 100 theaters across the U.S., Grabow said in a recent interview.

Grabow drew inspiration for the film from his own life. The story centers around the protagonist's desire to become sober and his connection with a dog named Yup'ik. Grabow plays the main character, but Yup'ik was cast by an adopted dog. The film partnered with animal shelters throughout the nationwide tour, donating 5% of the proceeds to local shelters, and brought awareness to shelters' struggles.

"For all films in the country that opened on Feb 24, according to our distributor, we opened in the top 10," Grabow said. That's a significant accomplishment for an independent film from Montana, he added.

Now that the film has wrapped up in theaters, it will be available to rent or buy online. Prospective viewers can find the film on popular streaming services, and typically films stay on these sites for at least six-to-eight weeks before being reassessed, Grabow said.

Grabow said that the digital version of the film will have a post-credits scene with Montana locals who helped make the film and a cameo with Abram Boise from Livingston. The content will highlight people from Livingston and Butte who were involved with the film's production, he said.

The film received a wider release than initially thought, as only about 150 films a year will have that happen, he said.

"The reason we got that was because we performed so well in Montana," Grabow said.

In eight of nine theaters "The Year of the Dog" opened during its first run in Montana it was number one. The film's initial success allowed the film to enjoy a wider release.

"We had really strong turnout throughout the state. That's why this happened," Grabow said.

The positive reception was unexpected.

"When we shot this thing, our biggest hope was that we would be able to play in one commercial theater for one week," he said.

Grabow noted that the success is shared and thanked his distributor Nova Vento Entertainment.

"The film is based in Montana, but it has themes that are universal," Grabow said.

"One of the groups that we got the best feedback on is from people in the addiction and recovery communities," he said.

Part of the strength of the film was its ability to connect with the recovery community, Grabow said. It tries to portray an accurate depiction of addiction and recovery.

"In Livingston, where we first opened, we had a drug and alcohol counselor come up to us with tears in her eyes, and she said this film will save lives," he said.

The film also connected with animal shelters, as the star of the movie, Yup'ik, is a rescue animal, he said. One of the things that came up during the film's interaction with local shelters was that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people were adopting a lot of dogs. When the pandemic started to wane and people started returning to work they didn't have as much time to spend with the animals, he said.

Yup'k, previously known as Kaleb, is a Siberian Husky, and these dogs are closer to the wolf side of the domesticated dog spectrum, Grabow said.

"They're really pretty, but people would adopt them, and then they are very high energy," he said.

"The case with our lead dog – his name is Kaleb – was that he was passed between homes because he was too energetic, he was too rambunctious," Grabow said. "Our trainer believed, after meeting Kaleb, that those things would be perfect for him in this movie."

A key takeaway of the film, according to Grabow, is that those struggling with sobriety or a variety of mental health issues often find it hard to do that work alone.

Now that the film has been uploaded digitally, Grabow will begin working on another film.

As to star of the film, Kaleb, "he's living in Palmdale, California, and he does Pet Co. commercials and hangs out with his beagle buddy," Grabow said.

Grabow extends his thanks throughout Montana and encourages anyone with comments or feedback to send it to rob@theyearofthedogmovie.com.