'I Can Only Imagine 2' Producer Recalls Anointed Scene: 'Holy Spirit Moved Everybody'
The filmmakers behind the movie "I Can Only Imagine 2" are opening up about one of the film's most emotional moments, calling it an “anointment” scene that brought many on set to tears as they witnessed God move.
The movie tells the true story of MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard, who faces personal struggles and searches for joy and purpose even as his band enjoys success. Eventually, an encounter with fellow singer Tim Timmons, who is facing a cancer diagnosis, transforms him.
"I Can Only Imagine 2" reaches its emotional climax in the film's final moments, when Millard (portrayed by John Michael Finley) performs MercyMe's hit "Even If" during a concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the popular outdoor venue set between towering red sandstone formations. The crowd even rises to its feet.
But the filmmakers say the pivotal Red Rocks sequence nearly didn't happen. Once it did, they say, it quickly became more than a movie scene as they watched God take charge.
"I Can Only Imagine 2" is now on home video. It won the Film Impact Award at this year’s K-LOVE Fan Awards.
“Getting to film at Red Rocks,” producer Cindy Bond said, was a “total miracle.”
“We were told that it was booked for two years,” Bond said.
As the filmmaking crew began searching for alternate locations, Bart Millard himself got involved, personally phoning Red Rocks.
“Bart called, and somehow, someway, one day popped up,” Bond said.
It was a date in April. But there was a catch: Red Rocks could not be used merely as a film location. There had to be a concert, too.
Thus, the real-life MercyMe staged a concert on that specific date, while the actors were seamlessly woven into the live event to film the movie's climactic scene.
“Bart had told me, ‘Hey, there was a time I was there [and we had] two feet of snow. And so we're going through all these kinds of potential challenges – and we're just praying,” Bond said.
The day of the shoot, she said, was a “perfect day.” No snow. No rain. Just beautiful skies.
“This place is packed to the rafters. We told them that we were shooting a movie, as well as the concert. Everybody was vested in this, and I just remember looking up above the rocks into the sky. I just started weeping, because I just saw the Holy Spirit just dropping over everyone in this production.”
Co-director Andrew Erwin agreed, calling Red Rocks “the only place” that would have matched the film’s “cinematic scale.” He described Red Rocks as a location where “God moved those rocks in place, and kind of created a cathedral for Himself there.”
The film depicts the audience spontaneously rising to its feet, moved by the song's message. Erwin and Bond said that moment wasn’t scripted.
“The whole audience stood to their feet in unison – it was a holy moment,” Erwin said.
Bond called it one of the most unforgettable moments of the production.
“We did not tell them to stand up,” she said. “.... The Holy Spirit moved everybody up.”
Photo Credit: ©Kingdom Story
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published July 16, 2026.
