"I'm not going to make $1': The director of 'Sound of Freedom' breaks his silence
“Sound of Freedom” is the surprise box-office hit of the summer — and the latest cause du jour in the far right’s culture war against the mainstream media. The thriller, from director and screenwriter Alejandro Monteverde, follows the journey of a rogue Homeland Security agent, Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), who risks it all to save kidnapped children from a Colombian sex-trafficking ring.
Independently produced for a reported $14.5 million, it’s topped $160 million at the box office since its July 4 release, fueled by word-of-mouth endorsements, pay-it-forward ticket purchases and the efforts of conservative influencers and pundits who've positioned the film asan answer to "godless" Hollywood's dominationof American entertainment. It has even been embraced by former President Trump, who recently hosted a screening at his New Jersey golf course.
A narrative has emerged in right-wing political circles that the film has had a harder time than most features finding its way into theaters, and into the entertainment press, because its distributor, Angel Studios, appeals to conservative audiences with a roster of faith-based movies. Although there’s no firm evidence that the picture has had a more challenging road than any other independent project, it has made novel use of crowdfunding: In addition to allowing supporters to buy tickets for others to see the movie, the project also raised $5 million from more than 6,600 investors to fund marketing costs associated with its theatrical release.
Its use of crowdfunding has been an unparalleled success — and it’s sure to have caught the eye of executives at a moment of flux for the film business.
The lion's share of the controversy around "Sound of Freedom," however, centers on its chosen subject matter. Among the most absurd of QAnon conspiracy theorists' unsubstantiated claims is the belief that wealthy, famous elites participate in child trafficking to harvest their young blood for a chemical calledadrenochrome.And though the film's plot has nothing to do with theconspiracy,it has become a galvanizing force for followers ofQAnon,in no small part because both Caviezel and Ballard have spoken openly about their own beliefs in QAnon's far-fetched ideas.
Advocates in the fight against child sex trafficking, by contrast, take issue with the film for canonizing the controversial operations of Ballard and his former organization, Operation Underground Railroad. Ballard has been accused of staging rescue missions as a means of self-promotion, and critics maintain that centering his story misrepresents how victims are actually lured into forced sex work.
Largely absent in all the noise, at least so far, has been Monteverde himself.
"When everything started happening, I just went into hiding,” said the 45-year-old director, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico as a teen, in what he characterized as his "first official interview" about the film. “I didn't want to be part of what was happening. I just like to make movies and tell stories. But then I said to myself, ‘There’s another side of the story. The full story. And I'm the only one that can tell that because I'm the author of the whole thing.’”
I call it a phenomenon. Nobody, no one, thought that this movie was going to make the box office it's making. It’s a complete surprise, including to myself. I thought this movie was never going to see the light of day. So I ended up giving away my points. I'm not going to make $1.
Nobody came to me to say, "Hey, do you want to make a movie about child trafficking?" Nobody. Everything started in 2015. I was writing another film when I saw a small news piece on child trafficking and child pornography. It shook my soul. And at that time, I only had one child. When I went to [bed], I couldn't sleep. I woke up the next day and I told my wife, "I have to do something about this." She didn't want to hear about it because it's too dark. It’s taboo.
I started doing research, then called my co-writer Rod Barr and said, "Let's put our other story on the side because I want to dive into this." He was hesitant, but finally he's like, “Let's do it.” So we started writing a movie called“The Mogul.”I was writing it with George Clooneyin mind [laughs]. It was going to be the story of this very wealthy man who made all his money in organized crime, and one day he’s offered to buy a child for a new enterprise: child trafficking.
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https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/im-not-going-1-director-100008087.html