Joel Smallbone Says UNSUNG HERO ‘Circles Around Mothers’

Joel Smallbone Says UNSUNG HERO ‘Circles Around Mothers’

By Movieguide® Contributor

For King + Country’s Joel Smallbone talked with Movieguide® about his new movie UNSUNG HERO, which tells the true story of his family’s journey from Australia to America.

“UNSUNG HERO is the definition of a passion project for me,” Smallbone began. “It is a ’90s film. It’s a true story. It’s a film about a mom and miracles and her migrating from Australia to the United States with six kids and one on the way and all the kind of tragedies and triumphs that they faced along the way.”

The movie chronicles the challenges the Smallbone family faced as they moved to a new country.

“When David Smallbone’s successful music company collapses, he moves his family from Australia to the United States in search of a brighter future,” a synopsis of the movie reads. “With nothing more than their six children, their suitcases, and their love of music, David (for KING + COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives from the ground up. Based on a remarkable true story, a mum’s faith stands against all odds; and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs.”

Smallbone co-wrote and co-directed the movie and plays his father. Ultimately, though, the film “really circles around our mom. Circles around mothers.”

He explained how motherhood inspired the title UNSUNG HERO.

“You know there are so many moms out there,” Smallbone said. “There are so many women that sacrifice so much and are unseen for the great day-in and day-out work that they do, and so this is our small attempt to celebrate one of our great heroes. Two of our great heroes, really: our mom and our sister.”

UNSUNG HERO will premiere in theaters across the county beginning April 26.

Check out the rest of Movieguide®’s interview with Smallbone here:

Movieguide® recently reported on the movie:

“There’s a quote that Mother Theresa said many years ago that I find to be kind of the thesis statement of this film, and that is this: ‘If you want to change the world, go home and love your family,’” Luke said. “Our family is like any other family. We are not a perfect family, and if you see the movie, you’re going to see that pretty quickly. Not a perfect family but a family that does believe in each other.

He continued, “I think the power of family is more important now than ever in the history of the world, and we need to see those stories about family up on the silver screen.”

“We’ve always been part of a large family, and we’ve always worked and done life together, and so this film was really just a great extension of what music has been,” Joel added. “We sort of all banded together to create what is for KING & COUNTRY, and so when we stepped into UNSUNG HERO, it felt like this natural extension of the family.”


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