Sound of Freedom (Movie)

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    Angel Studios Turns to Viewers of Faith to Greenlight Movies

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    The company behind “Sound of Freedom” follows an unusual strategy that relies on an army of subscribers to its streaming platform.When “Sound of Freedom,” a $14.5 million indie film about child trafficking based on the life of a Homeland Security agent, stormed the box office to become an unlikely $250 million hit, practically nobody saw its runaway success coming.Except Neal Harmon.Harmon is the chief executive of Angel Studios, a self-described “values-based distribution company,” that he founded in 2013 in Provo, Utah, with his brothers Daniel, Jeffrey and Jordan as well as their cousin Benton. Even before a rave review from Ted Cruz and a private screening held by Donald J. Trump, the reception for “Sound of Freedom” was effectively preordained, Neal explained in a recent interview, because the studio’s million-member Angel Guild had endorsed the film before the company decided to acquire the distribution rights.Jim Caviezel in “Sound of Freedom,” the breakout hit that went on to earn $250 million at the box office.Angel Studios“We definitely knew it was going to be successful because of the guild’s reaction,” Neal said. “We knew it was going to be really well received.”Most distributors rely on the instincts of a programming team, which typically attends festivals and watches screeners like a prospector sifting for gold. Angel’s model defers to the subscribers of its streaming platform, which has grown to become one of the most-downloaded apps on the Apple TV store, occasionally surpassing Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.In addition to a library of original content, the Angel app features short-form concept videos for potential movies or TV shows. Subscribers, or guild members, answer short surveys about the videos, and based on the results, Angel decides whether to greenlight projects. Subscriber fees are funneled back into the films and shows in production, essentially turning Angel’s system into a wide-scale crowdfunding model.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘Sound of Hope’ Studio Defends Partnership With The Daily Wire

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      Letitia Wright, the “Black Panther” actor and an executive producer of “Sound of Hope,” had posted her frustration with people using the film for “divisive political purposes.”The studio behind last year’s unexpected hit “Sound of Freedom” defended a partnership with the conservative website The Daily Wire to promote “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” following complaints by the actress Letitia Wright, an executive producer of the film.“Sound of Hope” is based on the true story of a Christian couple in Texas who adopted 77 children from foster care. The distributor, Angel Studios, framed the film as a spiritual sequel to “Sound of Freedom,” which starred Jim Caviezel as a real-life former federal law enforcement official who combats human trafficking.On the day “Sound of Hope” received its full theatrical release, Matt Walsh, the Daily Wire commentator and podcaster, posted on social media about the inspiration for the movie and added that “leftists are trying to stop Christians from saving more children.”In a series of posts on X, Walsh then condemned states that he said had prevented adoptions by parents who declined to recognize gender transition in children. He detailed two cases involving lawsuits in Oregon and Vermont.Wright, whose acting credits include “Black Panther” and “Ready Player One,” said on social media days later that she did “not condone using this beautiful film for divisive political purposes.”“This story isn’t about politics, it’s about children,” she posted. “It’s about sacrificial love for children who have experienced unthinkable horrors.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘Sound of Freedom’ Review: In the Land of Child Traffickers

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      Starring Jim Caviezel, this movie tells a story of child trafficking and the people combating it. But its muted tone ultimately undercuts its solemn sense of mission.The first 30 minutes or so of this picture are queasy for several reasons. After announcing itself as based on true events, “Sound of Freedom” depicts its hero, the Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard, apprehending a pedophile. Another agent, discussing their line of work and musing that “it’s a messed up world,” wonders why they’re not rescuing the children peddled by traffickers. Ballard, played by Jim Caviezel, gets a notion. He coddles the pedophile and sets up a sting. This nets him just one child.The queasiness derives from the contemporary-thriller vibes of the police procedural material. They feel inappropriate. Then there are the scenes in which actual child actors perform being prepped for provocative pictures by adult groomers. What are the ethics of depiction here? The makers of this film initially seem to be grappling with how to properly tell this story. (It should be noted that the real-life Ballard has been accused of exaggerating his rescue narratives.)“Sound of Freedom” settles on a tone of piety. Bill Camp as a sinner turned Samaritan (he gives the film’s best performance) relays his conversion moment to Ballard: “When God tells you what to do, you cannot hesitate.” As Ballard’s sense of mission grows, Caviezel is increasingly bathed in saintly light. “God’s children are not for sale,” he intones. In Colombia, he arranges a bigger sting, and after that, the narrative diffuses into an improbable “Heart of Darkness” style river journey. Only kind of dull.The director Alejandro Monteverde does have some sense of flourish, what with several single-point perspective shots and considered dissolves.So it’s hard to tell if this movie avoids any conventionally exciting set pieces out of scrupulousness or just lack of inspiration. Oddly, the picture’s muted tone ultimately undercuts its solemn sense of mission.Sound of FreedomRated PG-13 for themes, violence, language. Running time: 2 hours 11 minutes. In theaters. More