“Sound of Freedom” screenings at the military’s U.S. Southern Command have been pulled following a prior announcement that military members and their families would be able to watch the film, which deals with the horrors of human trafficking.
The Jim Caviezel-led film was initially going to be shown at its headquarters “in support of SOUTHCOM’s mission to promote respect for human rights and combating trafficking in persons in Central and South America and the Caribbean,” according to material from U.S. Army Garrison-Miami manager Joanne B. Fitzgerald obtained by The Military Times.
The bottom of the material read, “the showing of this film does not imply or constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army nor SOUTHCOM,” the outlet noted. The free screenings were initially to be available on August 28 and then again on October 19.
Military Times noted that after it reached out about the initial screenings, SOUTHCOM canceled them and explained in an email to those on the base that free screenings were canceled until further notice in order to “prevent the appearance of copyright infringement.”
#SoundOfFreedomFilm #soundoffeeedom pic.twitter.com/NOOfPm4CJP
— Sound Of Freedom – Full Movie 2023 (@jimcaviezelfilm) August 9, 2023
The email included a message that said, “the film is currently available to view at local theaters, and personnel and their families who would like to see the film are encouraged to do so,” the outlet noted.
“The movie’s central theme and its connection to SOUTHCOM’s AOR and our Human Rights Office (HRO) Combatting Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) program are inescapable and will serve to raise awareness of the prevalence of trafficking in human persons and sexual abuse and exploitation within our area of responsibility,” the release added.
SOUTHCOM spokesman Jose Ruiz initially told the outlet that the “subject of the movie is something that’s of great concern to the command, in that it follows as part of its mission of countering transnational criminal organizations.”
“Because of the way these transnational criminal organizations exploit migrants — the hopes of migrants — in ways that end up being serious violations to their human rights, and unfortunately in some cases lead to the deaths of the migrants,” he added.
“Sound of Freedom” comes from Angel Studios, the same company responsible for the popular faith-based television series, “The Chosen.”
In the movie — which is based on a true story — Caviezel portrays Tim Ballard, a federal agent who quits his job and embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue a young girl from sex slavery in South America.