A prominent Hollywood awards columnist is pushing Sound of Freedom for Oscars contention, as the anti-child trafficking drama has emerged as the surprise box-office success of the summer.
Columnist Sasha Stone made the case in a recent post on her site Awards Daily.
“Does that mean the industry will give this film a chance? Nope. It does not. In fact, they’re doing the opposite. They’re trying to discredit and destroy it because of course they are,” she wrote.
“They should all hang their heads in shame.”
Best Picture 2024: Yes, Sound of Freedom Should Be an Oscar Contender https://t.co/xqiJpYkINp
— Jeffrey Harmon (@JeffreyHarmon) July 17, 2023
Stone praised Sound of Freedom, writing that it deserves to be nominated for best picture and that star Jim Caviezel merits best actor consideration for his performance as Tim Ballard — the real-life Homeland Security agent who quit his job with the government in order to devote himself to rescuing children from international trafficking rings and bringing their kidnappers to justice.
“Sound of Freedom, in fact, would not work without Caviezel whose stillness is as compelling as the more emotional scenes. It’s in the eyes. You can’t look away,” she wrote.
Stone leveled harsh criticism at the mainstream news media, which have moved in lockstep to smear Sound of Freedom by associating it with “QAnon” — the left’s pejorative for conservatives who believe global elites are running pedophile rings, like Jeffrey Epstein’s.
“The press is actively attacking not just the film but Ballard himself, like this is some kind of political war — for what? People liked a movie that wasn’t made by Hollywood? Shouldn’t that tell you something?” she wrote.
“They have to try to discredit and destroy a hero who saved children from sex slavery and all because WAAA Trump?”
As Breitbart News reported, former President Donald Trump hosted a special screening of Sound of Freedom last week at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The film Sound of Freedom (@jimcaviezelfilm) gained an enthusiastic new fan — former President Donald Trump, who praised the anti-child trafficking drama as a “great movie” and “an incredible inspiration” during a screening at his club in New Jersey. https://t.co/5c0wERJ2w6
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 20, 2023
Trump later called for the death penalty for human traffickers, saying he will “defend the dignity of human life” when he returns to the White House.
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