Sound of Freedom is a new movie chronicling the real life mission of Tim Ballard, a man who has dedicated his life to rescuing children from the clutches of child sex traffickers through Operation Underground Railroad.
Ballard, who is a former CIA and Department of Homeland Security agent, says he was asked to take on the mission of infiltrating child sex trafficking rings by a superior who believed his deep Christian faith would help insulate him from the horrors associated with the task.
The movie, which features Passion of the Christ star Jim Caviezel in the leading role, was released in the United States today with producers Angel Studios promising to make it available to international audiences on their app.
The studio, which also produces The Chosen, describes Sound of Freedom as “a story of the fight for freedom and hope, even in the darkest of places.”
Actor Mel Gibson urged people to go and see the film, saying that “awareness” is key to ending child trafficking.
NEW: Mel Gibson is promoting ‘Sound of Freedom’ which is set to be released tomorrow July 4th, exposing the reality of child sex trafficking.
“The most disturbing problems in our world today is human trafficking, and particularly the trafficking of children. Now, the first step… pic.twitter.com/Uf61Vk2Hew
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 3, 2023
In the film directed by Alejandro Monteverde, federal agent Ballard successfully rescues a little boy only to discover that the child’s sister is still in captivity. The father of six decides to quit his job and hunt for the girl deep into the Colombian jungle.
I just watched The Sound Of Freedom and I'm stunned .. When they use actual footage of children being grabbed off the streets it's almost too much to bear .. Please support this movie – GO SEE IT!! pic.twitter.com/tXhlpCOQap
— Deb Jordan (@debthecohost) July 3, 2023
In a recent interview with Prof. Jordan Peterson, Ballard and Caviezel described the motivation for making the film and the horror stories behind the real life rescue missions of Operation Underground Railroad.
Ballard described his struggles by relating harrowing accounts of having to watch hours of the most appalling child sex abuse material to prepare evidence for court hearings, although he assured audiences that the film does not attempt to depict such scenes .
He says this “left holes” in his brain and forced him to come face to face with the nature of “evil”.
I just saw the Sound of Freedom.
Gut-wrenchingly powerful.
Kept me on the edge of my seat—as my heart ached knowing it was a based on a true story.
If you go to just one movie in a theater this year, I hope it’s this one.
— TexasLindsay™ (@TexasLindsay_) July 4, 2023
Ballard said his wife fully supported his decision to quit his job as a US operative to pursue his mission of child rescue full time through Operation Underground Rescue saying that the task had taken on a “spiritual” quality to her.
Describing his own personal connection to the subject matter, Caviezel says the process of adopting three children from China made him aware of the “dangers that go on with children around the world,”
The Count of Monte Cristo star said that the script came to him after it was turned down by a number of other actors who ‘didn’t want to get involved’ with the film which he described as being like the Pierre More movie, Taken, “with a bigger heart”.
Caviezel said he feels others had shied away from the role because of the current nature of the international issue of child sex abuse and trafficking.
“Schindler’s List was was a very powerful weapon but it came fifty years too late,” he said adding, “This film is now, this is exposing it now,”
Caviezel said that if atrocities like the genocide in Rwanda were publicised more and people saw them it would have been more likely to elicit action.
“It’s easier to get an actor to do a film fifty years later, there’s no controversy,” he said.
“Good people sit back and do nothing and allow this evil to occur,” he said adding “There’s got to be people who stand up in the time that it occurs and that’s what drew me to the whole story in the first place,”
Sobering mood and reactions coming out of the sound of freedom movie matinee pic.twitter.com/sCw3hEauHD
— Rebel52 (@Polkadot51) July 4, 2023
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