Sound of Freedom is a movie based on the true story of Tim Ballard, founder and former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.). Though produced in 2018, the film was not released until July 4th, 2023 because no major studio was interested in involving with such a movie.
Tim Ballard at the Sound of Freedom Premiere
Angel Studios’ #2MillionFor2Million campaign signifies a 2 million ticket goal for the 2 million trafficked children globally. As of Jul 25, the $14.5M-budgeted movie has a box office of $124.4M and has sold 11,936,709 tickets.
There are many anti-trafficking organizations and experts who have criticized the film for failing to project survivors’ voices when survivors’ voices are the most important in anti-trafficking work.
And just like many of them, we believe it is important to hear from survivors and see human trafficking through real experiences.
Nevertheless, when the survivors can yet to voice themselves — namely, young children — any media outlet bringing attention to the issue is beneficial. It is our responsibility as anti-trafficking organizations to share information and knowledge. The movie is already a good one for simply raising awareness about the issue.
Still, we would also like to reinforce one key idea:
Though the movie is based on a true story, not all details are true, and it is not a 100% accurate depiction of human trafficking.
The general synopsis of Sound of Freedom correctly matches the experience of Tim Ballard, Rocío, and Miguel. Still, there are also many things that were different from what happened in life.
Check out some Film vs. Reality here
We would also like to remind everyone again that a film involving rescues in developing countries does NOT erase trafficking crimes within developed countries.
To support Sound of Freedom and the work of spreading awareness of human trafficking, Future Unchained Toronto purchased 15 tickets through the Pay it Forward Campaign.
We do not want financials to be any barrier to anti-trafficking awareness. If you need to watch the movie for free, please feel free to claim a free ticket. Take a photo and share it with us! We’d love to see any impact we’ve made.