A documentary based on the legal trial of torrent search site The Pirate Bay is underway, and the director says he looks forward to fans pirating the film itself.
“I don’t mind. This process involves me too, and my struggle to survive as a filmmaker,” says 34-year-old Simon Klose in an interview with Wired. “The industry has to find new business models.”
The trial involving The Pirate Bay’s founders finished on 3 March, and a verdict is now expected on 17 April. Peter Sunde, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Fredrik Neij and Carl Lundström each face up to two years in prison and $180,000 fines.
But Klose says the film industry is entering a desperate time, and must find ways to adapt into a culture that is rife with piracy. He claims that both paid and free methods of film distribution can exist together, and that films must explore new methods of marketing to ensure their success.
“I believe in spreading free culture, but I will also try to get the film financed traditionally,” he says.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
