What happens when following Jesus puts everything you have left at risk? Gone 2: Unshakable Faith, EchoTV Studios' Kentucky-filmed sequel, follows survivors of the rapture as grief, persecution, and uncertainty force them to confront what they believe-and whom they can trust.
Following the film's limited theatrical engagement at Tenth Frame Cinema in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, October 9-15, EchoTV Studios president Ebie Adkins discusses the personal faith behind her work, the struggles shaping Sydney's story, and the ministry's commitment to offering Christian entertainment without subscriptions or ads. In this interview, Adkins explains why the film's questions reach beyond its end-times setting into the choices viewers make every day.
Q: Ebie, what led you to found EchoTV Studios, and how has your own faith shaped the stories you want to tell?
A: Dave Siriano founded EchoTV a few years ago as an avenue to share the Gospel of Christ through media. When I was a little girl, I heard the words in my heart, "I would have died just for you." That has always stayed with me. Jesus doesn't love me only as part of a crowd; He loves me personally. Showing Jesus as a personal Savior is the heart behind EchoTV and the reason I wanted to be part of this ministry.
As a team, we are always thinking about the one person who might be watching in a time they need hope or encouragement. We want to make stories that draw people in, make them feel something, and help them see that Jesus is personally reaching for them, too.
Q: Gone 2: Unshakable Faith follows people left behind after the rapture. What does the sequel explore about faith that the first film could not?
A: In the first film, life as they knew it was over for our characters and this harsh reality was just starting to settle in. In Gone 2, they have to wake up day after day and live with what has happened. They're grieving, afraid, and not knowing who to trust. Some are trying to find people they love, and others are learning what it means to follow Jesus in a world that is turning against them. To me, that's where faith becomes deeply personal. What do you believe when you're hurting, and will you still choose Jesus when that choice costs you something?
Q: Sydney turns away from God before finding hope with Silas. How did you make her return to faith feel earned?
A: I think a lot of people will understand Sydney's anger. When you've lost so much, you don't need to try to keep going on your own. You need someone willing to walk with you in the hard times. That's something Silas gives her. He cares about her, but he can't believe for her or fix her pain. The writer and director, Dave Siriano, wanted Sydney to have space to struggle and to make her own choice to reach for God again. Her journey shows that faith can grow in the hardest of times and even before you have everything figured out. And, in that struggle, I think Sydney learns that it's not about what she did, it's about what Jesus did.
Q: The film asks its characters to choose whom they will serve when following Jesus carries a cost. Which choice do you hope audiences will wrestle with most?
A: We hope that everyone who watches realizes that each day we all make that choice about Who Jesus is in our lives. Is He our Lord or does He have our attention only when it is comfortable?
Our characters don't have many comforts. They're trying to survive and protect the people they love, and they are afraid. I hope audiences see themselves in these portrayals and think about who and what they're trusting right now, while there's still time to decide.
Q: Why release Gone 2 in a Kentucky theater before bringing it to EchoTV? What does watching it together add to the experience?
A: This film has so many Kentucky hands and hearts in it. People in our community welcomed us, gave their money and time, and showed up for the hot days and hard work. Getting to sit in a theater with them as we watch together means so much to me and the whole team. There's also something special about hearing a room react together, then turning to someone afterward and talking about what you just saw. It is also very cool for our local actors to see themselves on the big screen!
I hope families and friends come together, and I hope some of those conversations that start in the theater continue long after the movie ends. Bringing it to the EchoTV platform after the Kentucky premiere gives people everywhere the chance to be part of the story.
Q: EchoTV is free, with no subscriptions or ads. How do you sustain that model, and what stories do you hope to tell next?
A: We can offer EchoTV for free because people give and partner with us and we don't take that lightly. Every gift represents someone saying, "I want these stories to reach another person." We are stepping out in faith that support will continue to come and that we can continue to produce content that changes lives.
We have more Gone and Outliers stories to tell, along with shorter films and new series that can meet people wherever they are. My hope is that someone can watch EchoTV without cost, find a story they connect with, and come away knowing that they're not alone because Jesus is the true foundation for unshakable faith.
For more information about Echo TV Studios, Gone 2: Unshakable Faith and the EchoTV streaming platform, visit Echo TV Studios.
