The Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center turned into a movie set earlier this spring.
Cast and crewmembers of the faith-based film, “Thread Bound,” spent more than 20 days shooting scenes for their movie all around the community of Aberdeen, South Dakota.
The movie follows three generations of women who are navigating through grief, self-discovery and the power of faith.
“Shooting is such a magical and intense experience because there are so many things that you need to roll with,” said screenwriter Allison Downey.
Downey spent more than two years writing the film, alongside Shaun O’Connell. Downey is from Aberdeen and wanted to shoot a majority of the movie in her hometown.
“We’ve filmed so many really cool locations in Aberdeen, including Sanford, which we are very grateful for,” Downey said.
The crew spent about 50 hours over the span of five days shooting the movie in the Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center. Thanks to manageable patient numbers, the crew was able to take over a small wing on the third floor of the hospital that wasn’t being used for patient care.
“I don’t think any of us thought that our hospital would be featured in a film, but it’s been a really cool experience for us all,” said Bea Smith, lead community programs specialist at Sanford Aberdeen.
Making a movie medically accurate
Sanford nurses played a behind-the-scenes role in assisting the crew to make sure the medical equipment is set up correctly and looks as realistic as possible.
“It’s been a great opportunity for our staff to interact with the individuals associated with the film,” Smith said. “Assisting them to do it as medically realistic as possible, which our staff truly appreciates.”
A large part of the movie focuses on a grandmother and her granddaughter being in the hospital, which is why the filmmakers reached out to Sanford for permission to shoot the movie inside the Aberdeen medical center.
“We appreciate Sanford so much for giving us the opportunity to film here,” said Downey. “Without this location and the gravitas that a hospital brings, it really means a lot to us to be able to share that level of storytelling.”
It meant a lot to the Sanford crew as well.
“Seeing the filmmaker’s excitement at the beauty of our facility and the staff willingness to participate in the creation of it has been really fun,” Smith said.
The production team hopes to release the film early next year.
Learn more
- Sanford Aberdeen celebrates a decade of growth
- Sanford Aberdeen named a Bronze Safe Sleep Hospital
- Nurses have a voice at Sanford Health
…
Posted In Aberdeen, Community, News
