'Sound of Freedom' Studio Releases New Films Taking on Woke Culture
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Angel Studios, the distributor behind the surprise 2023 summer hit Sound of Freedom, has released a new documentary series that argues the impact of woke culture on parts of the West amounts to a "soft totalitarianism" which is comparable to, but distinct from, the "hard totalitarianism" of the Soviet Union.
The film Live Not By Lies! is based on the 2020 New York Times bestselling book of the same name written by conservative commentator Rod Dreher, who described himself as an "old friend" of Vice President JD Vance. Split into four parts, it had its U.K. premiere in London's swanky Belgravia district on June 30, where Dreher told Newsweek he believes Vance "could be the new Reagan."
Why It Matters
Live Not By Lies! fleshes out the argument made by Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February, when he shocked European audiences by arguing Western European nations face a bigger threat from "within," including perceived attacks on free speech, than from traditional rivals like Russia and China.
This shows a powerful current within American conservative thinking which believes political freedoms are being weakened in Western Europe, and in particular the United Kingdom, in an attempt to accommodate "woke" ideology and multiculturalism.
What To Know
Live Not By Lies! was released by Angel Studios on its streaming platform on a weekly basis over April in four parts.
The first episode, which was played at the London premiere on June 30, focused on dissidents who opposed what Dreher calls the "hard totalitarianism" of the Soviet Union from behind the Iron Curtain.
A number of prominent British conservatives attended the event, including Mark Francois, a Tory MP and former minister, and ex-Mumford & Sons guitarist Winston Marshall, along with Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster, who co-host the popular Triggernometry YouTube channel which has 1.4 million subscribers. The U.S. premier took place in Washington and was addressed by Vance.
A promotional poster for Angel Studios' documentary series "Live Not By Lies!"
A promotional poster for Angel Studios' documentary series "Live Not By Lies!"
Angel Studios
Subsequent episodes argue parts of the West are now in the grip of a "soft totalitarianism," which has seen restrictions placed on free speech to avoid causing offense.
Speaking to Newsweek, Dreher said: "The main message of the film is that we're living now in Western civilization in a time of soft totalitarianism which is to say it's not like the Soviet version which has a police state, nevertheless people are very oppressed by speech codes, by fear of saying what they really think, against the left frankly.
"The message of the film is that it is important to find the courage to speak up to it for the sake of liberty and of the values that have been at the core of what it means to be a man or woman of the west for a very long time."
The U.K. is held up as an "extreme example" of this, with Dreher saying: "As an American we look to Britain as our mother country, as the founding place of democracy and that this is happening in Britain is of course a horror to us but it should not happen."
A promotional poster for Live Not By Lies! provocatively features CCTV cameras and communist flags emblazoned over British landmarks like Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament.
Comedian Konstantin Kisin speaking at the London premier of "Live Not By Lies!"
Comedian Konstantin Kisin speaking at the London premier of "Live Not By Lies!"
James Bickerton/Newsweek
U.K.-based cases featured in the series include that of Adam Smith-Connor, a former British soldier who in 2024 was criminally convicted after silently praying within a council designated "safe zone" outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, on England's south coast, and refusing requests to move. Smith-Conner was ordered to pay more than £9,000 in costs and handed a two-year conditional discharge, which he is appealing.
Speaking to Newsweek at the premiere, Smith-Connor said: "I think our soft totalitarianism is a very comfortable one, but I think as more and more lies seep into our society and this culture of death with abortion up to birth and assisted suicide coming in, I think it's going to start encroaching into more and more fields of our life."
Angel Studios
In 2023 Angel Studios, a Christian film distributing company based in Utah, released Sound of Freedom, an action movie telling the story of Tim Ballard, who launched missions to rescue children from sex trafficking in Columbia.
The film became widely popular, particularly with conservative audiences, bringing in more than $250 million worldwide against a budget of just $14.5 million.
Speaking to Newsweek, Smallman said that "no mainstream elements" would touch his proposal for Live Not By Lies! "with a 10-foot poll," but that Angel Studios expressed interest. The company submitted the documentary series to what it calls its "Guild," made up of its customers, who green-lit the project and allowed him to raise "about $1.5 million from 3,000 people online who sent us money because they believed in the project."
Vice President Vance
Dreher told Newsweek he is an "old friend" of Vance, whom he described as "a serious intellectual Christian and a man of great stability."
The writer went on to predict Vance "could be the new Reagan" adding: "I think if everything goes generally well with the rest of the Trump administration, we will have a President Vance because JD Vance has proved himself loyal to President Trump and his agenda."
Referring to Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference, Dreher said: "When JD gave that speech in Munich, my smartphone lit up with texts from conservative friends from Bucharest, across Europe to London, saying, 'thank God somebody finally said it.'
"Europeans who love their country, who love their culture and who love freedom of speech are looking to the American vice president as their defender. It's an incredible moment in history."
What Happens Next
Live Not By Lies! is available for streaming on the Angel Studios website.
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