Angel Studios debuts Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot on July 4 – Washington Examiner
Angel Studios has released a new film titled “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” one year after the debut of ”Sound of Freedom.” Lead actor Demetrius Grosse and Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon share insights on the new movie, which is part of an anthology including “Sound of Freedom.” “Sound of Hope” highlights the grim reality that a significant number of children trafficked for sex come from the foster care system, emphasizing the urgency for action.
The film is inspired by the true story of a small community in East Texas, where 22 families from Bennett Chapel in Possum Trot adopted 77 hard-to-place foster care children. This act had a profound impact on their lives and spurred a national movement towards addressing the adoption crisis with empathy and decisive actions. The movie, executively produced by Letitia Wright and directed by Joshua Weigel, with co-writer Rebekah Weigel, underscores the power of community efforts over governmental interventions in enacting meaningful change.
Angel Studios debuts another heart-touching movie with a strong message one year after Sound of Freedom on July 4.
Demetrius Grosse, lead actor in Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, and Neal Harmon, the CEO of Angel Studios, spoke exclusively to the Washington Examiner about the movie.
“You will come away from Sound of Hope stretched in your soul, and you’ll come away feeling like I can do something, I can help,” Harmon said.
Sound of Hope is part of an anthology that includes Sound of Freedom. In a world where up to 90% of children trafficked for sex have been through the foster care system, and with hundreds of thousands currently awaiting placement, the need for action is urgent. This sobering reality is at the heart of Sound of Hope.
“The story is about a small community in East Texas that had 22 families adopt 77 of the hardest to place foster care children, or orphans in the foster care system,” Grosse said. “A believing community in Bennett Chapel that did what some people think is, it’s very hard, they shared the load, and changed dramatically the lives of so many children in the foster care arena in their community.”
The movie draws inspiration from the story of Bishop W.C. Martin and first lady Donna Martin and their small congregation at Bennett Chapel in Possum Trot, Texas. This act not only transformed the lives of these children but also sparked a nationwide movement, rallying everyday people and communities to address the adoption crisis with compassion and action.
Executively produced by Letitia Wright of Black Panther fame, and helmed by director Joshua Weigel of The Butterfly Circus and co-writer Rebekah Weigel, Sound of Hope promises to shine a spotlight on the power of grassroots initiatives and community-driven solutions. It challenges the prevailing narrative that effective change can only come from governmental intervention.
Harmon spoke about how Joshua and Rebekah Weigel first wrote the script.
“They felt like the script wasn’t reaching an authentic level, so they decided to move into the community. And they lived there for a couple of years,” Harmon said. “You’ll see it on the silver screen, that you really get to feel what these families went through, and what these children went through in the foster care system. It doesn’t shy away from the hardship, it doesn’t shy away from the hope. And it’s just, it’s such a beautiful responsibility for Angel Studios to now take the life of the Martins and their community and the work of the Weigels.”
Grosse also shed light on other options than adoption.
“Adoption doesn’t just look like adoption. It can be mentorship, it can be philanthropy, it can be volunteerism — there’s a lot of ways to aid and assist to help eradicate this issue that we have with so many orphans in our country,” he said.
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Sound of Freedom gained its place among the top ten highest-grossing films domestically in 2023, according to Box Office Mojo.
Angel Studios has other projects coming up as well, including Bonhoeffer, a movie based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who fought Hitler during his reign in Germany, coming out in November. Homestead is coming out in December, along with an animated musical, David, set to be released during the holidays in 2025.
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