SOUND OF FREEDOM Inspires Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation: ‘Grateful’
By Movieguide® Contributor
SOUND OF FREEDOM is still making a massive impact nearly a year after its release.
Earlier this year, Movieguide® awarded SOUND OF FREEDOM with the Faith and Freedom Award for Movies.
Since then, new legislation — inspired by the movie — has been passed in Alabama that will protect trafficking victims.
“Last week the Alabama Governor signed into law the Sound of Freedom Act, which changed the penalty for first-degree trafficking of children to a minimum of life in prison,” Neal Harmon, Angel Studios Chief Executive Officer, toldMovieguide®. “And for us, we’re just grateful. We’re just grateful for the impact that this film’s having around the world and grateful that Movieguide® would recognize what an impact SOUND OF FREEDOM, the movie, has made.”
The law referenced was signed by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey last Wednesday. The Alabama Office of Governor website states: “House Bill 42 – The Sound of Freedom Act – elevat[es] Alabama’s anti human trafficking law to become the toughest in America. The new law raises the penalty for first-degree human trafficking to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment when the victim was a minor.”
“Human trafficking of minors is one of the most heinous and heart-wrenching crimes in America, and because the most defenseless among us are the victims, those found guilty should face the harshest penalties,” Ivey said. “…There must be a line drawn in the sand and Alabama is now leading the country with the toughest punishment for anyone who is found guilty of first-degree human trafficking of a minor. They will face nothing less than life behind bars.”
“I was proud to sign the Sound of Freedom Act into law enabling Alabama to take the lead in protecting children from these horrendous crimes. I also commend Representative Donna Givens for introducing and shepherding this important legislation to final approval,” she said.
The Sound of Freedom Act will go into effect on October 1, 2024.
Harmon believes God had His hand on the success of the film.
“SOUND OF FREEDOM was the only wide-release movie in history throughout the summer and to grow from one weekend to the next. We feel like that is just a message from God. The movie hit the zeitgeist, that God helped us distribute this film and, because he wanted to get that message out, so that things like that Alabama law would happen,” he added.
Check out the rest of Movieguide®’s interview here:
Movieguide® previously reported on SOUND OF FREEDOM’s impact on the entertainment industry:
SOUND OF FREEDOM is inspiring studios to invest in a new generation of faith-based content as audience demand continues to grow.
Producer Jon Erwin, known for Teddy Bear Award® winners JESUS REVOLUTION and I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, offered some advice to Angel Studios for SOUND OF FREEDOM, another Teddy Bear Award® winner. After its massive box-office success, he joked, “It wasn’t supposed to work this much!”
“As SOUND OF FREEDOM inspired box-office think pieces and conspiracy-theory controversy, Erwin and partner Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten were in talks with Amazon Studios. Today, their company The Wonder Project is producing a slate of faith-based series and films; Erwin said he’d ‘be lying’ if he believed SOUND OF FREEDOM didn’t help him get a better deal,” IndieWire wrote.
“I had not felt that hunger from the studios in a long time to reach the audience,” he said. “It’s an audience that doesn’t even want to feel agreed with. It’s a massive audience that just wants to feel seen, heard, and understood.”
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