Sen. Rubio urges US Southern Command to review ‘Sound of Freedom’.
The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) needs to reverse its decision to cancel two screenings of the film “Sound of Freedom” at its headquarters in Florida without delay, according to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
The Florida congressman, in a letter to SOUTHCOM Cmdr. Gen. Laura Richardson on Sept. 13, said he was “alarmed” over the cancellation.
The movie, which has grossed more than $210 million worldwide since its July 4 release, was originally scheduled to be screened at the command’s base in Doral, Florida, on Aug. 28 and Oct. 19.
“While reporting suggests that SOUTHCOM unexpectedly canceled the movie due to concerns about ‘copyright infringement,’ I am aware that its producers and the studio have communicated that this is not an impediment for the movie to be shown at SOUTHCOM to service members and their families,” Mr. Rubio wrote.
He added, “As such, since the concern which led to the cancellation has now been addressed, I urge you to rectify this situation and ensure that the screenings of the film be rescheduled without delay.”
“Sound of Freedom” is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, a Department of Homeland Security special agent who quit his job to save children from trafficking. In a recent interview with The Epoch Times, actor Jim Caviezel, who plays Ballard, considered the movie his most important work since his 2004 performance as Jesus Christ in “The Passion of the Christ.”
The movie has drawn attacks from mainstream news media, painting it as a “QAnon” fantasy, even though production of the film was wrapped up in 2018, before the terminology had gained prominence. Angel Studios crowdfunded $5 million to distribute and market the film.
Letter
“The topic of the film is directly in line with SOUTHCOM’s mission to combat trafficking and transnational criminal organizations in the command’s area of responsibility,” Mr. Rubio wrote. “Given SOUTHCOM’s robust leadership on combatting trafficking in persons, and the relevance of the ‘Sound of Freedom’ movie to SOUTHCOM’s mission, I was alarmed to learn of the decision to cancel the film’s screenings at SOUTHCOM.”
The Florida congressman added that the Pentagon has a long history of working with movie studios to host viewings of movies on U.S. military installations.
“As an example, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service offered advanced screenings of ‘Elvis’ at more than 20 U.S. Air Force and Army bases last year,” he wrote.
Mr. Rubio said there shouldn’t be any concerns about copyright infringement, since the producers and distributors of the movie “have consented to screening the movie at SOUTHCOM.”
Previously, SOUTHCOM told The Epoch Times in a statement that the screenings were canceled following a review of “applicable laws and regulations governing the use of materials subject to copyright and intellectual property laws for official or recreational purposes.”
“I hope you agree that what matters is whether the movie is worth showing to the troops and potentially meeting the filmmakers, not whether the troops can buy a movie ticket or stream the film on their own,” Mr. Rubio added. “As such, I request immediate confirmation that ‘Sound of Freedom’ will be shown at SOUTHCOM as originally planned.”
Support
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also voiced his support for the movie. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, Mr. Scott shared Mr. Rubio’s letter and said he agreed with his colleague, saying, “There’s absolutely no reason [Sound of Freedom] shouldn’t be shown.”
“[SOUTHCOM] should reschedule this immediately,” Mr. Scott added.
Former President Donald Trump heaped praise on the movie after hosting a screening of the film at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, in July. In attendance at the event was Mr. Caviezel, producer Eduardo Verástegui, and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
Also in July, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) held a screening of the film on Capital Hill for members of Congress.
Days after the screening, Mr. McCarthy said during a briefing that he believed “every single person should see this movie.”
“There were moments I was emotionally upset,” Mr. McCarthy said. “But when you watch and get to the end, and you think today as a policy maker, I would love to sit down and watch this with the president. What is transpiring to these young children? Human trafficking that is going on, let’s not put politics around it. Let’s put these children first.”
Citing “Sound of Freedom,” Senate Republicans, including Mr. Rubio and Mr. Scott, sent a letter in July to Democratic chairmen of the Senate Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Foreign Affairs committees, calling for additional hearings on human trafficking.
In their letter, the GOP senators wrote the movie “has played an important role in creating public awareness of this modern-day form of slavery.”
They added, “Given your committees’ roles in overseeing DHS [Department of Homeland Security], we urge you to investigate and hold hearings into DHS’s efforts to
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