Angel Studios’ “Sound of Freedom,” inspired by a true adoption story, debuts July 4

Sound of Freedom distributor Angel Studios is releasing its newest film, based on the true story of 22 church families adopting over 70 children in the 1990s, next month.

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, scheduled to release July 4, is inspired by the events of Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in east Texas, which works to provide children in crisis with proper homes. The families of the rural black church, led by Bishop W.C. Martin and his wife Donna, work with an agency to adopt 77 children, including 76 between 1996 and 1998.

The film focuses on Donna, played by Nika King, and her husband, played by Demetrius Grosse, seeking to adopt children into their home, which leads the other church families to do the same. One of the four children adopted by the Martin family is Terri, played by Diaana Babnicova, a 12-year-old girl who was greatly abused in her original home.

Ahead of the film’s release, Angel Studios released footage of the stars discussing the crisis in the foster care system, detailing how 100,000 children are waiting to be adopted. Among those featured in the video is Letitia Wright, best known for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, who served as one of the film’s executive producers.

Other producers for the film include King and Joe Knittig, the CEO of the Global Orphan Project non-profit.

While it is scheduled to be released to the public next month, Angel Studios is doing early screenings for the film around the country on Wednesday.

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The film’s release date will be on the one-year anniversary of Sound of Freedom, which put Angel Studios on the Hollywood map and became the biggest surprise hit of 2023. The film, based on the true story of Tim Ballard quitting his Department of Homeland Security job to rescue children overseas from human trafficking, grossed over $184 million in North America and over $250 million worldwide.

Earlier this year, Angel Studios released Cabrini, which is based on the true story of Catholic missionary Francesca Cabrini traveling from Italy to New York City in 1889 to convince the mayor to provide housing and healthcare to those in need. The film also featured a musical duet from legendary musician Andrea Bocelli and his daughter, Virginia, which played during the film’s end credits.