Sound of Freedom: a cry against child trafficking and pedophilia

The film tells the story of Tim Ballard, a federal agent who quit his job to rescue children from sex traffickers. Starring Jim Caviezel, it opens July 4.

Jim Cavalier, protagonista de 'El sonido de la libertad, el filme que cuenta la historia de Tim Ballard, un agente federal que luchó contra el tráfico infantil. — (Angel Studios)

Published by

Rosana Rábago Sainz

July 2, 2023

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The story of "Sound of Freedom" is the story of a film that struggled to get by. The feature film tells the story of Tim Ballard, a federal agent who quit his job to rescue children from sex traffickers. Starring Jim Caviezel (starring, among others, in such great successes as "The Passion Of The Christ"), the film uncovers one of the biggest issues facing the whole planet: child trafficking and pedophilia.

The film, scheduled for release on Tuesday, July 4, begins with Ballard in the midst of a mission: he has to save a 7-year-old boy from the world of child crime. After successfully completing his mission, the little boy asks him for a favor: he needs the federal agent to find his sister, who is also missing and involved in a sex slavery scheme in the middle of the Colombian jungle. The character played by Caviezel discovers that this is what he must dedicate his life to: rescuing children who are trapped in child trafficking networks. He comes to devote himself to this cause for the rest of his working life, even abandoning his job as a federal agent.

Five years of waiting

"Sounds of Freedom" was shot and has been ready for screening since 2018. The film, produced by Eduardo Verástegui and directed by Alejandro Monteverde, was acquired by Angel Studios. However, getting the feature film to the big screen was not so easy.

"Sound of Freedom" was initially owned by 21st Century Fox, which had been acquired that year by Walt Disney Studios. However, Disney did not dare to release the film and kept it in a drawer. This was explained to The Washington Examiner by Neal Harmon, CEO and co-founder of Angel Studios, who noted that the coronavirus also prevented the film from coming out earlier:

Initially made with [21st Century] Fox. After it was completed, Fox was acquired by Disney, who said, ‘We can’t release this film.’ Eduardo spent over a year before [Disney] released the rights to the film. At that time, he tried to take it to theaters, but just as they were, COVID hit, and another three years passed.

#2MillionFor2Million

Finally, in early 2023, Angel Studios acquired the rights. But getting it into theaters wasn't going to be that easy. Funding had to be found. And the production company, also in charge of "The Chosen" TV series, decided to crowdfund for it. Thus was born the hashtag #2MillionFor2Million.

The plan? To get 2 million people to buy tickets before the premiere. The figure is no coincidence; each of these people represents one of the 2 million children trafficked worldwide. And it also serves, as Neal Harmon told Variety, to make the message they want to convey with the film even clearer:

“Sound of Freedom” is respectfully and stunningly filmed, based on real events of undercover heroes bringing hope to many. This film will keep audiences on the edge of their seats with suspense and encourage all of us to take action.

Leading man Jim Caviezel deeply identifies with this meaning. He told Variety that "Sounds of Freedom" was among the most important films he had ever been a part of: "I am so proud to be a part of this impactful film. In fact, I’d say this is the second most important film I’ve done after ‘The Passion Of The Christ,'" he said.

"Sounds of Freedom" is a feature film not recommended for children under 13. It also stars Oscar winner Mira Sorvino ("The Final Cut"), Bill Camp ("12 Years a Slave"), José Zúñiga ("Twilight") and Eduardo Verástegui ("Unplanned").