Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot - Opening July 4th

From the studio that brought you Sound of Freedom and Cabrini comes Joshua Weigel’s Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, the true story of an East Texas church committed to becoming a solution to the foster care crisis. The film is  executive produced by Letitia Wright, renowned for her role in Black Panther, alongside Nika King and Joe Knittig

That’s a tall order.  What they did is do the impossible which is getting 77 children adopted. 77 children. 

The U.S. has a big problem with the broken foster care system, and the fact the film is based on a true story makes you sit up and take notice.  

In this story, we follow Donna and Reverend Martin as they step into the daunting task of warming the cold hearts of a rural church community. There’s an implied stigma that these kids are not wanted by anyone because they are deeply defective, and taking on such a burden could damage one's quality of life, and those of your family and communities.

There is some truth about the mental damage and stress placed on young kids and young adults who are forced to deal with harsh treatment and sometimes unimaginable abuse by these “so-called” caregivers. But here, the Reverend and the community embrace the need—making adoption possible in the East Texas community.

This film proves that when determination is wrapped in love, the brutal fight for America’s most vulnerable can be waged and won.

Written by Joshua Weigel and Rebekah Weigel, directed by Weigel, and starring Nika King, Demetrius Gross, Elizabeth Mitchell, Dianna Babnicova, Jillian Reeves, and Kaysi J. Bradley as Ladonna—this family drama can serve as an inspiration to individuals and organizations that might want to step up and help.

Weigel is an award-winning filmmaker with a unique ability to create deeply moving stories that transform and inspire action. Gaining a strong vision for filmmaking at a young age, Joshua got his start 25 years ago at the WBTV Network. He was soon working alongside some of the industry’s top creatives as a Production Designer and Art Director on network promos and national commercials, including work for ABC Family, Disney, McDonald's, Bud Light, and award-winning Super Bowl spots. Joshua began working closely with his wife, Rebekah, writing and producing award-winning short films which he directed, culminating with what has become one of the most beloved short films of all time, The Butterfly Circus, a viral phenomenon receiving over 100 million views, and garnering over 35 film festival awards, including the Clint Eastwood Filmmaker Award presented to Joshua by Clint Eastwood at the Carmel Film Festival.

Together they founded PEACETREE PRODUCTIONS, a company devoted to creating life-changing, spiritually significant entertainment, highlighting critical social issues and powerful narratives to capture the most compelling stories of our time. As an adoptive parent, Joshua was powerfully impacted by the Possum Trot story, and began producing and developing the script with Rebekah on spec over eight years. Joshua directed the film and the Weigels produced through Peacetree Productions in association with Letitia Wright’s Threesixteen Entertainment. Next up on the slate for Peacetree Productions is the highly anticipated feature-length adaptation of The Butterfly Circus.

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot releases exclusively in theaters on July 4, 2024. 

Thanks to the Angel Guild, this film’s message will spread across the world. Pay it Forward for your contributions to go towards distributing the film and making sure it reaches as many people as possible.