BitTorrent to world premiere feature - intentionally

BitTorrent isn't usually a service studios want to partner with. The favorite application of movie and software pirates, the service is widely demonized throughout the state of California.

But the makers of The Tunnel will world premier their direct-to-DVD film on the service on May 19  – and they've doing so with the full cooperation of Paramount.

Distracted Media went about fundraising for the film in an unusual way mid-last year, by selling individual frames of the horror film for a dollar each. The plan then, as it was now, was to premier the film via BitTorent for free, while simultaneously releasing it on DVD with Transmission Films and Paramount Home Entertainment Australia. The home video release will include two hours of bonus footage and an alternate ending.

“Our experience with Paramount has been positive, and we’re impressed with how forward-thinking they’ve been on considering our specific project,” producer and editor Enzo Tedeschi told the website TorentFreak. “From day one we’ve maintained that The Tunnel is not supporting or condoning piracy, but instead trying to incorporate a legitimate use of peer-to-peer in our distribution strategy internationally.”

A teaser for the film can be seen below: