“The film that the elite doesn’t want to see.” Searching for this term in the Google search engine yields more than three million results, and at least on the first page you can find all of them with the film “Sound of Freedom” or “Sonidos de libertad” in Spanish. Since its July 4 release in the US, the film, produced by Mexican actor and conservative activist Eduardo Verástegui, has sparked controversy and anticipation. These two ingredients have made this film, shot for almost $15 million, gross more than $180 million in the United States alone, surpassing the earnings of new installments in franchises such as Indiana Jones or Mission: Impossible.
Directed by Mexican Alejandro Monteverde, the film is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, a Department of Homeland Security agent dedicated to fighting pedophilia. The film, starring Jim Caviezel (Jesús in the Passion of the Christ – 2004), portrays the role in which he is fed up with hunting down criminals in his country without tackling the root of the mafias, which are child trafficking in Latin America operate, He decides to go into hiding in Colombia, dismantle a criminal network and bring more than 50 minors back to freedom.
Verástegui says in a video posted to his Facebook account on July 5 that he had a year-long contract with 20th Century Fox to distribute the film. However, Disney’s purchase of the studio thwarted the plans. The film’s ownership changed hands and they told the actor and producer the following: “This film is not for Disney.” Neither Netflix, Amazon or Lionsgate had shown any interest in the film, the producer recalls. After a year of negotiations, he got the rights back and Angel Studios, an independent, Christian-inspired company based in the state of Utah, came into the picture. “We signed the contract within five days. Incredible people with faith, God and integrity. “It’s the contract I signed the fastest in my life,” he continues his story.
The morbidity surrounding the film is the result of a snowball effect of misinformation. Complaints about an alleged “boycott” by trade fair companies, alluding to technical problems with the suspension of the event or the failure to display promotional material at their venues; or an alleged rejection of the studio film “in favor of the woke agenda.” According to the conspiracy theories of the far-right group QAnon, the sabotage is intended to hide “the truth” from the “progressive elites”. According to Caviezel, these privileged groups use a substance called adrenochrome, “ten times more powerful than heroin,” which is “obtained from children who suffer violence” and “they don’t want this to be known,” as he explained to Steve Bannon, former adviser to Trump and disinformation guru, on his television show.
Jim Cavaziel (right) in the lead role of Tim Ballard alongside Javier Godino in the role of Jorge.IMDB
Both Angel Studios and the film chains had to deny this alleged “boycott” of the film. Likewise, various media outlets tasked with conducting verifications, both in English and Spanish, have proven the untruth of Caviezel’s statements.
The misinformation pouring in from the United States led to questions from the Latin American public, who began demanding that distributors and cinema chains screen Sound of Freedom, while demanding that the media and content creators talk about it. There was still no clear answer Date for the film’s release in the rest of the continent and it was not available on any platform.
The film, which is recommended for ages 13+ in the US while being rated B in Mexico for ages 15+ (according to chains like Cinepolis and Cinemex), hit Latin American theaters on August 31.
“There are no secret rituals or elites abusing their power and influence in the film. There are no attacks on Republicans or open Catholic Christian speeches. He doesn’t even say that all Central or South Americans are bad men. Something like that does not exist. Despite everything that surrounds the film, it is technically very well made, it is not boring. They talk about an important topic in an interesting way. What seems very low to me is the creation of conspiracy theories to create interest in it because it is very well made and has great cinematic quality,” says Ryu Murillo, filmmaker and university professor.
Murillo compares his Sound of Freedom ad to his 1998 ad for The Blair Witch Project. He says they are very different, but both are based on the same concept: selling something that isn’t true. The distributor of the famous horror film supported the advertising campaign by claiming that the material in question was audiovisual material found in the US forests after the three filmmakers disappeared.
Another factor in Sound of Freedom’s success is the pay-it-forward model, or chain of favors, promoted by Angel Studios. It uses a crowdfunding system that makes it possible to use its website to cover the cost of a ticket for someone who would otherwise not be able to see the film. The portal explains that you can also receive up to two free tickets for an event “thanks to the generosity of others” on the same site. This modality, which has allowed the studio to purchase more than 17 million tickets and exceed its goal of 2 million tickets purchased by 863% – according to the data on its website – also works for Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, etc as well as from other countries such as El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica, among others.
Although the film does not address any Catholic-Christian discourse, apart from the slogan that propagates it: “The children of God are not for sale”, it had appeal to an ultra-religious sector.
“This ultra-conservative circle in particular has great purchasing power. It’s a film for which a lot of tickets have been sold, but the cinemas are empty. It’s a very interesting phenomenon,” says the university professor. And that’s partly why speculation of a “boycott” arose, as in some cities across the U.S. the public asked, “Why are there no tickets when the theater is empty?”
The film also used Verástegui’s political lobby to promote itself among like-minded people in the region and promote the intention to work together for stronger policies against child trafficking. Recently, on a tour of various countries, he received the support of leaders such as Nayib Bukele and Rodrigo Chaves from El Salvador and Costa Rica; or the ultra-conservative candidate in Argentina Javier Milei. “Even this movie [Sound of Freedom] It was so successful precisely because it touches on an important topic that few people want to address. Many are afraid of who is behind the organ purchase. “Very few people like to talk about evil,” Bukele said at an event in late July where a memorandum of understanding to combat child trafficking was signed between his government and the Sound of Freedom team.
“From south to north and from north to south, the ‘Sound of Freedom’ continues to grow. The anti-human trafficking movement now spans the entire American continent, from Alaska to the Andes. “This film is triggering a worldwide reaction that they can no longer stop,” Verástegui commented during his visit to Argentina, according to the Catholic news site ACI Prensa.
During my recent participation in the International Summit Against Human Trafficking in #Washington, DCI have emphasized our commitment to fighting this crime, which also harms our children. The responsibility lies with the federal government, and my duty is social, to help with prevention… pic.twitter.com/uN6kEqVM6b
— Sandra Cuevas (@SandraCuevas_) August 31, 2023
In Mexico, Sandra Cuevas, mayor of Cuauhtémoc – one of the capital’s most sought-after locations – who wants to implement a crude model in the style of the Salvadoran president in her political aspirations, also initially expressed her sympathy for the film during her visit to Washington DC, where he saw it firsthand after meeting with leaders of the Conservative Action Political Conference, an association that includes Verástegui and brings together ultra-Catholics and anti-abortion activists. “The responsibility lies with the federal government [contra la trata], and my duty is social, to help with prevention and raise awareness. I will spread in the public places of #Cuauhtemoc from the film “Sound of Freedom,” Cuevas tweeted after the premiere of Verástegui’s film in Mexico.
“The more information you have, the less likely conspiracy theories are to work.” It’s in the distributors’ best interest to maintain the discourse or make people think it’s “the movie they don’t want to see,” because that creates morbidity. And when you talk to these conservative and economically wealthy circles, it’s natural to say ‘strikes’ to someone who can’t see the film, that’s where the phenomenon lies,” concludes Murillo.
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