Angel Studios, the film studio behind Sound of Freedom and The Chosen, has announced the release of Possum Trot, a feature film executively produced by Black Panther actress Letitia Wright, in theaters this summer.
Wright produced the film alongside Euphoria actress Nika King and Joe Knittig, the CEO of The Global Orphan Project. Possum Trot tells the true story of a small East Texas church, led by bishop and first lady Donna Martin, and 22 Black families who adopted 77 of “the most difficult-to-place children” from their local foster care system. Their work ignited a national movement that led to drastic shifts within the foster care and adoption community.
Appearing in the trailer, Wright said the film asks the question of ,”How do we as a community, not only the Church, but how do we rally everyone to step in for kids, because they are the future?”
Reports show there are approximately 391,098 children in foster care in the U.S. today. Wright and her fellow crew members hope the story of Possum Trot will spark a movement within the church and individuals.
“The Martin family and this community have shown us a solution to the foster crisis,” said director Joshua Weigel. “They’re fighters and we believe this film will catalyze others to courageously follow their lead. I’m honored they asked us to tell their story, and that Angel Studios is bringing Possum Trot to the world.”
Angel Studios acquired the rights to the film in February. CEO Neal Harmon told Deadline the studio was drawn to the project because of how it was a story that “amplified light” in the midst of a dark situation.
“The families went through so much because some of these kids were trafficked, some of these kids had been abused by their parents, one of these kids, their mother was murdered right in front of them,” he said. “Difficult, difficult, hard, hard stuff, but this little community changed the face of the entire foster care system of Texas just because of that selfless act.”
Last year, Angel Studios’ Sound of Freedom became one of the 10 highest-grossing films of 2023 after it was released on July 4. This year, the studio is hoping Possum Trot can have a similar impact.
