AWARD-WINNING FAITH DRAMA ELIJAH PEEL OPENS EXCLUSIVELY IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE TODAY
Three-time winner at the 2026 International Christian Film & Music Festival – Best Picture, Best Director and Best Lead Actress – from Executive Producers Willie and Korie Robertson. Starring Robert Malcolm Cumming, Evelyn Grace Kite and Kevin Sorbo.
NEWS SOURCE: 2911 Media
NASHVILLE, TENN. — FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026 — EKKL Entertainment’s ELIJAH PEEL, the award-winning rock ‘n’ roll drama about a musician’s collapse and the nine-year-old girl who reaches him when nothing else can, opens exclusively in theaters nationwide today. Written, produced and co-directed by Kevin D. Sepe and inspired by his own recovery from addiction, the film arrives carrying three top honors from the 2026 International Christian Film & Music Festival — Best Picture, Best Director and Best Lead Actress.
Inspired by a true story and executive produced by Willie and Korie Robertson (Duck Dynasty, The Blind), ELIJAH PEEL follows a stadium-filling rock star whose life of fame and addiction comes to a sudden halt after a heart attack nearly costs him everything.
During his recovery, Elijah encounters a remarkable young girl whose unwavering faith, radiant spirit and wisdom beyond her years begin to break through the walls he has built around his heart. Through their unexpected bond, her extraordinary hope inspires Elijah to begin a powerful journey toward healing, reconciliation and faith.
Sepe has described the film as “a story about the unexpected connections that can change the course of a life.”
What the press is saying
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“An uplifting drama that resonates long after the credits roll.” — Movieguide®
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“Many will enjoy Elijah Peel’s redemptive message.” — Plugged In, Focus on the Family
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“A faith-steeped, music-driven meditation on brokenness and redemption.” — Patheos / ReelFaith
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“With charm and confidence appropriate for the world’s biggest rock star.” — Baptist Press, on Robert Malcolm Cumming
A story the filmmaker lived
Sepe wrote the screenplay roughly fifteen years ago and carried it through a long career in music and film production before making it with producing partner Terry Lee Harris. After years of addiction and repeated brushes with death, the Miami-based writer-producer and father of five found sobriety, embraced his faith and began rebuilding his life. He has been direct with reporters that the film is not a literal retelling, telling Patheos it is “a story with a ton of truths and parallels to my life.”
A working musician who put himself through law school writing music, Sepe composed songs alongside the screenplay itself, drafting the film’s closing number before he had a melody for it. He has described the project’s aim not as commercial success but as ministry, calling the finished film “soul food” in a release-week interview with The Daily Wire.
Behind the film
Willie and Korie Robertson, who previously backed The Blind, have said the film’s message is what brought them aboard as executive producers: “This is a story about faith and connection that we immediately believed in.”
The film is distributed by EKKL Entertainment, a new studio built around values-driven theatrical releases. Founder Michael Scott has framed the picture as a story about second chances, human connection and the endurance of hope.
The cast
Robert Malcolm Cumming (Hell’s Haven, Molar), who began his career as a musician and performs the film’s vocal tracks, plays the title role. He told The Christian Post it is “hard to find stories where change feels earned and not saccharine.”
The film marks the feature debut of nine-year-old Evelyn Grace Kite as Jessica Sanchez, the terminally ill young patient whose faith becomes the story’s engine. In May, Kite became the first child ever to win Best Lead Actress at the International Christian Film & Music Festival, taking the honor over a field of adult nominees. A LaGrange, Georgia native, she is one of six performing siblings known collectively as Chasing KiteStrings and has also appeared in ABC’s 9-1-1: Nashville. Producer Terry Harris has said she “brings a compelling energy and realness to every scene.”
Veteran actor Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, God’s Not Dead) appears as Rock Diamond, Elijah’s longtime talent manager — a man who has watched his client’s rise and self-destruction from the front row, and who finds himself caught between protecting a superstar and saving a friend. April Billingsley and Princess Elmore round out the principal cast.
Music at the center
The original soundtrack, produced by Sepe and published by Harris Sepe Music, blends rock, soul and faith-driven themes written in tandem with the screenplay. Standout tracks include “Life Too Short, Story Too Old,” “River Deep,” “Can You Feel It,” “The Wild Ones” and “Not an Ordinary Love.” The film was shot on location in and around Memphis, Tennessee.
Recent coverage
Broadcast & radio
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WGVU / NPR, The Shelley Irwin Show (Aug 10) — Robert Malcolm Cumming on the film and his West Michigan roots.
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Plugged In Entertainment Reviews (Aug 7) — Syndicated audio review with Adam Holz.
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FOX 2 Detroit (Jul 29) — Cumming, live in studio.
Podcast
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Faith Radio / iHeart (Aug 5) — Nashville red carpet with Willie and Korie Robertson and Kevin D. Sepe.
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Arroe Collins / iHeart (Aug 5) — Cumming and Evelyn Grace Kite on their on-screen bond.
Print & online
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The Daily Wire (Aug 14) — Opening-day feature with Sepe on addiction and recovery.
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Cinema Daily US (Aug 12) — Exclusive on-camera interview with Sepe.
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Crosswalk (Aug 10) — Willie Robertson on the film’s message, by Michael Foust.
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Charisma Magazine (Aug 9) — Cast and filmmaker interviews.
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The Western Journal (Aug 6) — Exclusive video sit-downs with Cumming and Kite.
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The Christian Post — Origin-story interview with Sepe, plus Kevin Sorbo.
Credits
ELIJAH PEEL · Written, produced and directed by Kevin D. Sepe · Starring Robert Malcolm Cumming, Evelyn Grace Kite, Kevin Sorbo, April Billingsley and Princess Elmore · Executive produced by Willie Robertson, Korie Robertson and Terry Lee Harris · Original soundtrack produced by Kevin D. Sepe, published by Harris Sepe Music · Produced by Harris-Sepe Films, Gravity Studios, Cuttingboard and Pinnacle Peak Pictures · Distributed by EKKL Entertainment · Rated PG-13 · Running time 1 hr 47 min.
Trailer, assets and official channels
#ElijahPeel · #ElijahPeelMovie · #HeFoundFaith
About EKKL Entertainment:
EKKL Entertainment is a faith-and-family entertainment company dedicated to bringing values-driven, audience-friendly stories to as wide an audience as possible. Its theatrical slate includes ELIJAH PEEL, opening exclusively in theaters August 14, 2026; DANIEL AND THE FIERY FURNACE, opening exclusively in theaters September 18, 2026; and SHE DANCES, a father-daughter drama starring Steve Zahn, Audrey Zahn, Ethan Hawke, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mackenzie Ziegler and Sonequa Martin-Green.