Colombian Bishop Thanks SOUND OF FREEDOM for Uncovering Child Trafficking
By Movieguide® Contributor
Colombian bishop Miguel Fernando González Mariño is thankful SOUND OF FREEDOM has shed light on child trafficking in his country.
“The topic is ridiculed or its producers are described as fanatics. The truth is that we must thank its brave filmmakers, who, convinced of human dignity and with a deep Catholic faith, have dared to raise a cry: ‘God’s children are not for sale,’” Mariño wrote.
He explained that trafficking “involves our country and demonstrates social and family degradation,” adding that “it doesn’t suit some people to talk about this scourge because it threatens their finances and they have taken it upon themselves to discredit this film.”
The bishop added that “irregular family environments where stepfathers, stepchildren and other people…live under the same roof…forming a strange and artificial family nucleus” create an environment for abuse.
“This reality, added to the uncontrolled proliferation of pornography and the effort to promote gender ideology in school, makes our children easy victims of abuse and corruption,” he continued.
SOUND OF FREEDOM has been dominating the box office in Latin America, bringing in two million viewers throughout 18 different countries.
“We’re seeing packed theaters, standing ovations, widespread enthusiasm, and strong word-of-mouth from Buenos Aires to Mexico City to Bogota to Caracas, Lima, and beyond,” Jared Geesey, the chief distribution officer at Angel Studios, said. “We set a goal of reaching 2 million in advance ticket sales — which took a full week in the U.S. — and reached that goal in just four days in Latin America.”
Alejandro Monteverde, the movie’s director and screenwriter, added, “We were told we only have a 1 percent chance to be successful, but it was our audience that came out and defended [the movie]… and it’s thanks to the audience that we survived the attacks [from the critics].”
A portion of the Movieguide® review for SOUND OF FREEDOM reads:
SOUND OF FREEDOM is gripping and heartbreaking, but hope-giving. The movie sheds light on the need for strong people to stand up for God’s children around the world who are caught in the vicious, abusive system of sex trafficking. SOUND OF FREEDOM has a strong Christian, moral worldview that promotes sacrifice and the message that “God’s children are not for sale.” MOVIEGUIDE® advises strong and extreme caution for the movie’s mature subject matter, implied and depicted violence, and abuse of children.
