Nine-year-old actress Evelyn Grace Kite made history Saturday night at the 14th annual International Christian Film & Music Festival, becoming the first child ever to win Best Lead Actress at the event, beating out a field of adult nominees.
The young Georgia native took home the coveted ICFF Angel trophy for her leading performance in the upcoming faith-based drama “Elijah Peel,” during the festival’s closing ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. The festival ran April 28 through May 2.
In “Elijah Peel,” Kite stars as Jessica Sanchez, a terminally ill 8-year-old cancer patient who forms an unexpected bond with a self-destructive rock star, played by Robert Malcolm Cumming, after he suffers a heart attack on stage in Memphis. The film, which also stars Kevin Sorbo, is directed by Nathan Ross Murphy and Kevin D. Sepe and produced by Memphis-based Gravity Productions. It explores themes of friendship, faith, and redemption.
According to her family, Kite was shaking and breathless as she accepted the award, and she forgot to thank everyone she had planned to recognize. The young star delivered her speech while battling a double ear infection.
“Somehow, this little girl walked into a room full of incredibly talented adults and walked out with Best Lead Actress,” her parents wrote in a post on her official Instagram account. “We truly did not see that coming. Like, at all.”
Kite, who hails from LaGrange, Georgia, is one of six performing siblings known collectively as “Chasing KiteStrings.” A trained violinist, dancer, and singer-songwriter with music available on all major streaming platforms, she has quickly become one of the most in-demand young talents in the faith and family film market. Her other recent credits include “The Best Thing About Christmas,” “The Naughty List” opposite Jim O’Heir, and ABC’s “9-1-1: Nashville.”
“Elijah Peel” is set for theatrical release on August 14.
