Grammy Award-winning duo for KING + COUNTRY is giving movie-goers an inside look at how family, faith, and prayer have propelled them to be an international success with a new film that hits theaters this Friday.
“Unsung Hero” is the inspiring story of the Smallbone family, which includes for KING + COUNTRY members Joel and Luke Smallbone and their sister, singer-songwriter Rebecca St. James, as they emigrated from Australia to the United States after the collapse of their father’s successful music company.
“This film is more than our story. It’s a tribute to our parents, their sacrifices, and the unshakeable faith that guided us through our toughest times,” Luke Smallbone told Olivet Nazarene University.
Joel Smallbone is making his directorial and screenwriting debut with the Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company film which is being released on April 26. He also plays the role of his father, David.
“I was pretty lazy with my dad’s story before this film, and it was really impactful for me to drop into his world and to literally step into his shoes, and into his jacket, and (ask) ‘What was he facing?'” Joel said. “It was pretty profound, and it was also really profound to re-enact these miracles that we sort of inexplicably felt and sensed along the way.”
Luke Smallbone co-produced the film and told a crowd at Liberty University he hopes it will inspire families to draw closer together and nearer to God.
“I believe in the power of the family,” he said. “I think the family is more important today than it ever has been in the history of the world.”
The heart of the story is Helen Smallbone, the mother of the seven children, who is played by Daisy Betts. For KING + COUNTRY crafted a song for their mom which is also the title of the hit film.
“Unsung Hero” official website describes the film as “based on a remarkable true story, a mum’s faith stands against all odds; and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs.”
“It’s every mom’s story, every mom is an unsung hero, but not only that, I love the adventure of it,” Joel Smallbone said.
As CBN News reported, Helen Smallbone joined “The Prodigal Stories Podcast” in 2022 to tell her family’s harrowing overcomer story. She shared that God guided her after the family came to America with absolutely nothing and catapulted them onto national and international stages.
“America was sort of the land of opportunity,” Smallbone said, noting their experience in the U.S. was a culture shock. “At this point, we were living hand to mouth. We knew we had nothing much behind us, financially. We had no family anymore, minimal friends, work acquaintances, but that was about it.”
She said through faith and perseverance the family found massive success. For KING + COUNTRY are platinum-selling artists and St. James has won a Grammy and multiple Dove Awards.
“There is a great responsibility under God that you honor God and finish strong,” she said of the platforms her children have. “And that has been spoken about within the home to everybody.”
It’s a tale Smallbone also documented in her 2022 book, “Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family.”
“Unsung Hero” is in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 26. For more information, click here.
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