Why Pope Francis ‘prayed’ for Sound of Freedom to be made as the controversial film hits the UK, with viewers stating: ‘Just watched the film and now I can’t sleep’

Amidst the loud Barbenheimer hype this summer, the indie film Sound of Freedom has risen in the box-office rankings.

The independent film has had a lot to offer this year, but it has surpassed some of them huge blockbusters at the box office, including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate

Its success may come as a surprise to some, but one thing separates Sound of Freedom from big-budget films: the personal support of Pope Francis.

But one thing separates Sound of Freedom from the big-budget movies: the personal endorsement of Pope Francis.

Producer Eduardo Verástegui (pictured) jumped at the chance to tell the head of the Catholic Church about his project

The unlikely fan now owns a copy of the independent film and even “prayed” for its release.

The film, directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde, follows a federal agent who embarks on a dangerous mission to save young children from the sex trade in Colombia.

The main character is based on Timothy Ballard, a former Department of Homeland Security agent who founded the anti-trafficking organization Operation Underground Railroad (OUR).

Producer Eduardo Verástegui began the project with Monteverde in 2015, and after filming wrapped in 2018, the project was put on hold for years.

While the producers didn’t know if the film would ever come to light, Verástegui was passionate about its message and dared to tell Pope Francis about it when he had the chance to meet him in 2015.

In an interview with News weekhe said, “I had a private audience with Pope Francis and I said to him, ‘Holy Father, we are about to start this project called the Sound of Freedom movie, it’s about raising awareness, which is the first step is to eradicate child trafficking”

Verástegui then asked the pope, “Would you like to pray for these people?” with which the pope apparently agreed. According to the producer, the pope said, “This is something very important and close to my heart, and I will pray for this project in a special way.”

Eight years after production on the film began, Summer of Freedom is now out. The producer told the Pope about the project years before its release

The pope apparently told the producer that human trafficking is an issue ‘dear to my heart’

After an eight-year delay, the film was a smash hit at the box office and has since grossed over $180 million, surpassing its modest budget of $14.5 million.

After the film’s release, Verástegui briefed Pope Francis at his annual private meeting. He told Newsweek that the pope was pleased to hear that the film is raising awareness worldwide.

The producer then gave Pope Francis his own copy of the film in his native Spanish, which he apparently promised to watch.

Pope Francis has previously spoken out against human trafficking, once calling it “a crime against humanity.”

In a message for the 2022 World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Trafficking in Human Beings, the pope described the violence faced by women and girls as “an open wound on the body of Christ”.

Although the head of the Catholic Church seems to love the film, the film has been the subject of controversy and is the surprising catalyst for political division in the US.

Pope Francis apparently owns a copy of the film in his native Spanish, which was gifted to him by the producer

Tensions have arisen over its factual accuracy, while on the other side of the political spectrum, the film has been associated with QAnon supporters.

The Guardian called the film a “QAnon-adjacent thriller,” while Rolling Stone called it a “brain-worm superhero movie: the QAnon-tinged thriller.”

Erin Albright, a lawyer who previously served as a fellow for the Justice Department’s anti-trafficking task, told Rolling Stone that the film is “founded on this sensational perspective of what child trafficking would be.”

The director previously described the film’s reception as “heartbreaking.”

“Anyone who watches this movie knows this movie isn’t about conspiracy theories,” he told the New York Times. “It’s not about politics.”

Outside of the political sphere, the film has been well received. It scored a high score of 8.3/10 on IMDb and a respectable 64 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Months after the American premiere, the film will be shown in cinemas in Great Britain and Ireland on September 1.

Some UK viewers have already commented on X (formerly known as Twitter), with one saying ‘I just watched Sound of Freedom and now I can’t sleep’.

Meanwhile, others urged their followers to go see the movie, with one claiming they “cried so hard” during the screening.