Two months and two days after its world premiere in Toronto, Sheldon Kennedy's documentary film "Swift Current" was screened in front of a capacity crowd in the city the story all began decades ago for former Bronco and NHL player.

The film tells the story of Kennedy, a player that helped lead the Western Hockey League's Swift Current Broncos capture a Memorial Cup championship in 1989 and how throughout all his success on the ice, a dark secret was being kept off the ice.

Kennedy was abused by his well connected and highly respected coach Graham James an estimated 350 times over the course of years. The documentary portrays how the impact of that trauma and abuse lasted even longer than the abuse itself, not just for Kennedy, but for the other victims profiled in different circumstances as well.

The "invisible scars" Kennedy told SwiftCurrentOnline in a previous interview that "can last a lifetime."

For some watching in attendance, it was their first time viewing the film despite it airing across Canada on the Global television network in November.

It was a sold out crowd for the screening (Photo: Drew Medve)

For some it was an emotional experience, many in the audience being personally touched or affected by sexual abuse or other forms of abuse that have impacted themselves and their families.

"It was very well done. It hit the nail on the head in a lot of aspects. I had a daughter that was abused and I really feel for Sheldon for what he has gone through and see in him what my daughter has gone through", said Arlene, who attended the screening.

"She is quite a bit younger but.. it's phenomenal. As they said near the end (of the film), the systems need to work together but I really feel the local, provincial and federal governments are not spending enough on mental health to put these pieces together."

Sheldon Kennedy's mother is also featured in the film, and is emotional sharing a story that Graham James stayed over at the family home one night and years later discovered he had molested young Sheldon in their basement.

Mrs. Kennedy asks rhetorically how Sheldon must have felt knowing the next morning James was served breakfast at the family table and she knew nothing. Arlene says as a mother she connected to Mrs. Kennedy in that moment.

"It’s incredibly awful and its something you never forget. You can never… you just feel that you haven’t done enough to protect them and you will never outlive that guilt. (How do you get past that?) It does stray occasionally but it always comes back to haunt you but my faith has gotten me through otherwise I wouldn’t be able to function with it. That’s all you can do with it. He is a phenomenal man who has gone through hell and back and has come out of it every time and I see how strong he is to have done that."

After the screening finished, audience members were able to ask Sheldon Kennedy or Mayor Jerrod Schafer questions as they were on-stage. Becki Schultz was the first audience member to commend Sheldon for his courage and reiterated those words with SwiftCurrentOnline.

"I thought the film 'Swift Current' screened here tonight in Swift Current was fantastic. In my comment I made in the audience after watching the film, my comment was thank you for having the courage to share your story over the last 20 years and having the courage to make people feel uncomfortable because often times the truth is uncomfortable and people don’t want to hear it. I also said thank you to Brad Goetz who was shown in the film and he had a comment, I’m paraphrasing, but he said people here in Swift Current or people anywhere didn’t care. They cared about winning than about the young men who may have been going through this at the time. I was talking to Wayne McNeil, Sheldon Kennedy’s friend, and I said things like this needed to be said 20 years ago and I’m glad they’re being said now."

Becki says abuse has a connection to her life and says she relates to Kennedy in certain aspects.

"In some way, shape or form (abuse has affected her), I don’t want to get into specifics but I understand the anger of going from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. I understand how emotions rise to the surface. When Kennedy’s daughter Ryan in the film talked about if someone would cut her dad off on the street or highway he would get angry right away, I understand that. I’m sure a lot of people listening to this story or watching the documentary understand that. It hit home for me a little tonight."

In the film, Kennedy speaks about how all the abuse led to him abusing drugs and alcohol to numb the pain, and says he came close to not being here today. Schultz wished to thank Kennedy for his courage.

"Thank you to Sheldon Kennedy for being such a brave and courageous person and for choosing life. Life over the alternative. And for being here tonight."

Another viewer, who wished to remain anonymous, voiced support for the upcoming initiative in Swift Current ensuring more checks and balances for those working with youth.

"I watched it back in November and I watched it again tonight and it just doesn’t get any easier to watch. It’s an amazing piece of work and it tells the story. I think what I see, it talks about how good kids are about hiding secrets. It’s hard to watch without a tear. I think the initiative that Swift Current is moving forward with, that’s a way to say let’s stop the hurt and start the healing and let’s move forward. Let’s make this a thing of growth and not a thing of shame. Sheldon talked about that, get rid of the shame, hide the hiding and let’s bring it out in the open, deal with it face to face and let’s grow."

Earlier Friday, Sheldon Kennedy spoke to all Swift Current students that assembled at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School.

Joined by Kelly Schafer, an Olympic level curler and the wife of Swift Current Mayor Jerrod Schafer. The two discussed Kennedy's history in hockey at the school and his work with abuse prevention and education.