‘Sound of Freedom’ Producer Unveils New Film Exposing Child Trafficking in America
- Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Aug 30, 2024
An executive producer of Sound of Freedom is out with a new film aimed at awakening Americans to a sobering reality: Child trafficking is taking place in the U.S., too. The new movie, City of Dreams (R), follows the story of a young boy whose dreams of becoming a soccer star are crushed when he's trafficked across the border and forced to work in a sweatshop in Los Angeles.
Producer Sean Wolfington helped bring the film to the big screen and also worked on Sound of Freedom, the 2023 blockbuster that shined the spotlight on international child trafficking.
There are an estimated 12 million children around the world being trafficked.
"Sound of Freedom shows what is happening all around the world. City of Dreams shows how it's happening right here in our backyard," Wolfington told Crosswalk Headlines.
City of Dreams was inspired by true events involving the father of director Mohit "Mo" Ramchandani. Wolfington said he felt "called" to make City of Dreams and Sound of Freedom.
"Mo's father was a child slave at the age of seven," Wolfington said. "So over 20 years ago, Mo came to L.A. to make movies with the hope one day of being able to tell that story. He produced a number of films, and on his mother's deathbed, she informed him of a life insurance policy that she had and encouraged him to use it to tell the story he wanted to tell, which is City of Dreams. It is inspired by his father, but actually based on multiple true stories that unfortunately happened right here in America."
The 12 million child slaves around the world today outnumber the total enslaved during the entire 300 years of the transatlantic slave trade, he added.
"And it's a $150 billion industry with very powerful trafficking cartels," he said.
The boy in the movie fights back.
"He never gave up and, against all odds, risked everything to attempt to liberate himself and the other children that were held captive," Wolfington said. "It's incredibly powerful. It's an edge-of-your-seat heroic thriller, but more importantly, it's inspiring to the people who see it, and we hope that whoever sees it will be inspired to join this fight to protect and save these innocent kids."
Wolfington also produced Bella, The Mighty Macs, Little Boy, and Cabrini.
"We know that tens of thousands of children were liberated because people who saw Sound of Freedom took action," he said. "And we know of 20 laws that were created to protect children because people who saw the movie took action.
"And so it's our goal, our hope, that when people see City of Dreams, they're going to take action in whatever way they can."
City of Dreams is rated R for strong violence, including child abuse, bloody images, language, some sexual material, and partial nudity.
WATCH: CITY OF DREAMS Official Trailer (2024)
Photo Credit: ©Roadside Attractions
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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