The new film “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” depicts the true story of a life-changing experience Bishop and First Lady Donna Martin had when they jumped into the foster care system. During the filming, however, the transformational experience also affected one of the film’s main stars, actress Nika King. The actress, known for the series “Euphoria,” portrayed and became acquainted with First Lady Donna Martin, which she said put her on an entirely different path.

“Let me tell you, (First Lady Donna Martin) has given me new life and new purpose,” King said. “She probably don’t know what she’s doing in my life and what God is just doing my life through just portraying her. This is definitely having me on a whole different trajectory of what I thought my life would be like.”

The film details the highs and lows, the joy and the challenges of the foster care program, as the Martins welcome children into their home and inspire 22 families in their church to do the same. As the children adjust to their new surroundings, the pastor and first lady do their best to keep spirits up and resources flowing. It is a picture of the church in action making a difference in the community.

First Lady Martin is enthusiastic about the church’s story making it to the big screen and hopes that it will inspire more churches to engage in the foster care system and be a light to their communities.

“This movement is going to charge people, to stir up what’s already in them, and what Jesus went to the cross and shared his love for, which is his blood for the rich remission of our sin, and that no one has to be broken,” added Martin. “I mean, you can just open it up and be healed, be delivered and be set free, and be the answer to any problem.”

“Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” doesn’t shy away from the complexities and harsh realities of children who’ve become wards of the state. Many of them come from abusive situations, such as Terri, the Martin’s foster child, who becomes a challenge in the second half of the film. As they peel back the layers of her hard exterior, they find a girl who’s endured more than a young person should have to experience.

“I think for me, some of the most hard scenes to perform were with the kids, because there’s a reality that this actually happened to this child,” King said. “And as much as Nika wanted to do something and change something and be there for them. I couldn’t. I had to walk this thing out with First Lady Donna Martin as if it’s happening in that moment.”

King said she would often go back to her trailer after filming, disillusioned with the world and wondering “Why would someone want to hurt a kid?”

“I had to remember that no, the whole point is this story has to be told, so we can stop those things happening, so we can remove those kids and give them love.”

Speaking from experience, Martin agrees that it will take unconditional love to get beyond the “acting out of emotions of pain and hurt.”

“It’s going to be because of the agape love that Jesus Christ gave unto us,” she said. “It’s really simple, but it’s something we overlook all the time, the ‘Greater is He that is within us.’

The movie may move people to adopt and foster children, but even just raising awareness of the national crisis is a positive thing, King believes.

“We want people to be conscious about what’s happening in this country, with over 400,000 kids being in the foster system,” she said. “You have churches on every corner and if a family in a church adopts one to two kids and the church family surrounds that family and supports them, we can end this crisis. There has to be an awareness and a shaking up. I think that’s what this film is doing and what God is doing. God is shaking people to do something.”

“Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” directed by Joshua Weigel and written by Joshua and Rebekah Weigel, is now playing in theaters from Angel Studios. Watch an interview with Nika King, First Lady Donna Martin and DeWayne Hamby below.