"SOUND OF FREEDOM"

A CRY AGAINST THE HORROR OF CHILD TRAFFICKING

Sound of Freedom, directed by Alejandro Monteverde and carried by the talented Jim Caviezel, has already generated unprecedented enthusiasm with pre-sales amounting to $11.5 million upon its US release on Tuesday July 4th.

This powerful thriller immerses us in the true story of Tim Ballard, a former US government agent who fought against this criminal scourge, especially in South America.

The plot of the film is simple, but its scope is immense: after rescuing a young boy from the merciless clutches of child traffickers in South America, a federal agent discovers that the boy's sister is still captive, and he decides to save her too.

Timothy Ballard is the founder of the non-profit organization Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), which is dedicated to fighting sex trafficking and child trafficking. Before founding this organization, Ballard, author of several books, served for 12 years in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

He was part of a special unit responsible for investigating crimes committed against children on the Internet. Ballard, deployed as an undercover agent with a US team fighting child sex tourism, felt deeply "frustrated" with the lack of strategies to rescue these kidnapped or trafficked children, especially in underdeveloped countries.

In response to this frustration, Ballard quit DHS and founded the OUR organization in 2013, alongside former FBI agents and CIA teammates. Their mission was clear: to end the horror of child trafficking and free those trapped in this abomination. Their fierce fight is now brought to the screen, with a gripping performance by Jim Caviezel, who you may remember for his landmark role in The Passion of the Christ.

A "Weapon of mass instruction" on child trafficking

His character is interpreted by actor Jim Caviezel, known for his role in The Passion of the Christ, a worldwide hit film directed in 2004 by Mel Gibson and retracing the last hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Tim Ballard, utters one of the most beautiful lines ever uttered in cinema. To another character who asks him why he fights against child sex trafficking, Caviezel replies: “God's children are not for sale”.

It is a devastating aftershock.

Asked by OSV News, the actor returned to the “objective” of this film, to “sell 2 million tickets for 2 million children” affected by trafficking. The producer of the film, the Mexican Eduardo Verástegui, explains, for his part, that he intends to make this thriller “a weapon of instruction and inspiration for the masses” against this activity which is as criminal as it is inhuman.

The film's distributor, Angel Studios, has adopted an innovative method of crowdfunding, allowing those who buy tickets to give others the opportunity to watch this film for free. This approach, already used successfully for the series "The Chosen", makes it possible to reach a wider audience and spread the essential message of Sound of Freedom.

The origins of this film date back to 2015, when Mexican producer Eduardo Verástegui met Tim Ballard and his team of former CIA and FBI agents. It came as a shock to Verástegui to learn of the horrors they faced, traveling undercover around the world to rescue children kidnapped and destined for sexual exploitation. Verástegui, upset by these revelations, could not sleep for several days.

Sound of Freedom is more than just cinematic entertainment, it's a weapon against the most abominable evil our society has ever known.

When the public realizes the extent of this perversion, it will be deeply shocked by the scale of the atrocities committed against innocent children. Trafficking in human beings generates a turnover of 150 billion dollars a year, of which 34 billion dollars concern children alone. It even surpasses the illegal arms trade and will soon surpass that of illicit drugs.

Up to 60% of unaccompanied minors who cross the US-Mexico border are sold to cartels for sexual exploitation or enslavement, after being relocated within the United States.

In an effort to realize this vision, Angel Studios, the film's distributor, opted for a crowdfunding approach similar to that used for their hit series, "The Chosen." Viewers who buy tickets will help make it possible for others to watch this thriller for free. It is a model that promotes solidarity and allows everyone to access this impactful cinematic experience.

Eduardo Verástegui, meanwhile, shared the origins of the film, revealing that work on the script began in 2015. When he met Tim Ballard and his team, made up of former CIA and FBI agents, he was deeply marked by their commitment around the world, fighting this horror. This meeting was the starting point of a powerful collaboration, giving birth to Sound of Freedom.

When will it be distributed outside the States ?

Angel Studios acquired worldwide distribution rights to this thriller in March 2023, but release dates outside the United States, including France, have yet to be announced.

Twitter boss Elon Musk, who has promised to make the hunt for child pornography his priority, even recommended posting the film on his social network “for free for a brief period” or simply setting up a subscription to support the movie.

Mel Gibson also dedicated a video in which he calls to watch the cast of Angel Studios.

One of the most disturbing problems in the world is the trafficking of people, especially children.

The first step to eradicating this crime is awareness.

For Variety, the fact of making an amalgam between conspiracy theories and this thriller is "a nonsense". "You don't need to have extreme beliefs to discover 'Sound of Freedom' as a convincing film", explains the specialized newspaper, which even qualifies it as a "solid thriller".

In France, Karl Zero indicated this Friday that he was in the running to allow the film to be released.

Go watch "Sound Of Freedom", he sums up.