TV NEWS
Sound Of Freedom: The Story Of The Film’s Real-Life Inspiration, Tim Ballard
By KIERAN FISHER
“Sound of Freedom” is one of 2023’s unexpected success stories. Jim Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, a former government agent who goes rogue to take down a child trafficking ring.
Caviezel was inspired by the real-life Tim Ballard, a former undercover operative for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who dedicated his career to this work.
After leaving the government agency, he founded Operation Underground Railroad, a nonprofit organization that's dedicated to fighting human trafficking rings all around the world.
The film only chronicles one case that prompted Ballard to leave the government agency and go out on his own. In real-life, it played out a little differently.
Speaking with The Daily Signal, Ballard said he was ordered to abort missions in Haiti and Colombia, but he refused as the cases were “a significant hit against human traffickers.”
With financial help from Glenn Beck, a conservative political commentator, he was able to complete the operations and found the Operation Underground Railroad organization.
The organization’s efforts are noble on paper, but it has been linked with the far-right conspiracy group QAnon. Ballard and the organiztion have denied any association.
Still, there are crossover elements regarding their respective beliefs, but “some of these theories have allowed people to open their eyes,” according to Ballard.
Ballard parted ways with the Operation Underground Railroad before “Sound of Freedom” was released. He has since co-founded a new endeavor known as The Spear Fund.