Former President Donald Trump has announced plans to host a screening of “Sound of Freedom,” a newly released thriller about human trafficking, at his private golf resort in New Jersey.
In a news release on July 13, Mr. Trump’s campaign said that the screening will take place at the former commander-in-chief’s Bedminster golf club on July 19, noting members of Mr. Trump’s golf resort and his supporters will be invited to the event.
Mr. Trump’s team also shed light on the efforts of left-leaning news outlets trying to paint the movie in a negative light, including some reports linking the film to QAnon conspiracy theories.
“Liberal media outlets like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Hollywood Reporter have refused to review the film, while publications like Rolling Stone, Washington Post, CNN, and The Guardian have trashed the film and mocked the millions of movie-goers who purchased tickets to screenings,” the announcement reads.
“Sound of Freedom,” which is based on a true story, follows Homeland Security Agent Tim “Timoteo” Ballard on a dangerous mission to rescue a group of children who are being held captive by child traffickers in Colombia.
Despite attempts by news reports to belittle the crowd-funded movie, the new anti-child trafficking film achieved the top spot at the box office in America on its opening day.
“Sound of Freedom grossed $41.7 million in the first week of its release and opened at No. 1 in Texas, Florida, and Arizona theaters,” Mr. Trump’s campaign said. “The feature has taken the nation by storm, beating out Disney’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in July 4th movie ticket sales despite appearing in far fewer theaters, securing the top position in the box office for the day.”
The movie was produced by Mexican filmmaker Eduardo Verástegui, who was previously appointed a member of Mr. Trump’s advisory commission tasked with improving Hispanic Americans’ access to economic and educational opportunities.
Mr. Verástegui, a staunch advocate of a strong and vital U.S.-Mexico relationship, emphasizing the “importance of coming together as a society to address this pernicious evil and eradicate child trafficking,” according to the news release.
The news release also touted Mr. Trump’s record on human trafficking issues, saying the former president was “prepared to bring the full force and weight of our government” to end human trafficking.
During his time in the White House, Mr. Trump made fighting human trafficking a key goal of his administration and often spoke publicly about the issue. He signed an executive order in January 2020 to eliminate human trafficking and online child exploitation in the United States, which required resources to be directed into areas that would result in the prosecution of offenders, assist victims, and expand prevention education programs about the issue.
Media Tie Film to QAnon Conspiracy Theories
A number of media outlets have tried to link the film to QAnon conspiracy theories, drawing dismay including from Christian musician John L. Cooper, who posted about it on his Instagram page.
“There is absolutely nothing political, partisan, ‘conservative,’ Qanon, or even religious about the movie,” Mr. Cooper wrote. “That being said, the tragedy of child trafficking is very real—and if being aware of it and opposing it makes me a conservative conspiracy theorist, then I’ll gladly wear that label.”
Rolling Stone writer Mile Klee wrote an op-ed titled “‘Sound Of Freedom’ Is a Superhero Movie for Dads With Brainworms,” with the drophead, “The QAnon-tinged thriller about child-trafficking is designed to appeal to the conscience of a conspiracy-addled boomer.”
Mr. Klee described actor Jim Caviezel—who portrays Mr. Ballard in the film—as “a prominent figure on the conspiracist right, giving speeches and interviews in which he hints at an underground holy war between patriots and a sinister legion of evildoers who are harvesting the blood of children.”
“It’s straight-up QAnon stuff, right down to his use of catchphrases like ‘The storm is upon us,'” Mr. Klee continues. “Here, he gets to act out some of that drama by playing a fictionalized version of Tim Ballard, head of the anti-sex trafficking nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), in a feature film that casts the operator as a Batman-style savior for kids sold into the sex trade.”
Despite the attacks, many influential people in the film industry, including award-winning actor/director Mel Gibson, have publicly embraced the movie and encouraged fans to go see it.
Sharing a video on Twitter, singer/songwriter Jewel Kilcher spoke about the importance of the movie’s message and encouraged everyone to get out and see the drama based on the true story of Mr. Ballard rescuing hundreds of children from sex traffickers.
“It saddens me that some media is trying to politicize this movie,” Ms. Kilcher posted, responding to a tweet from Elon Musk, who had offered to make the Angel Studios film available to stream for free on the social media platform.
“This is not left or right. It’s about millions of kids being trafficked, and no matter what your faith or creed, we need to protect all the vulnerable kids rather than fight over philosophical differences,” she added.
Epoch Times reporter Carly Mayberry contributed to this report.