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IMDb Relents And Allows BitTorrent Movie The Tunnel a Listing

The creators of the BitTorrent-only movie The Tunnel are celebrating today. After being refused an IMDb listing on several occasions, the makers wrote an open letter to the Amazon-owned company which was featured in dozens of news articles. Today, the horror movie, which was funded by people buying individual frames of the production, has been accepted into the IMDb databases.

The TunnelLast week, Julian Harvey and Enzo Tedeschi (who together form Australia-based Distracted Media) had a huge battle on their hands.

Their upcoming movie, The Tunnel, which is set for a release later this year, was badly in need of an Internet Movie Database listing. Unfortunately IMDb didn’t want to play ball.

From a standing start in June this year, Enzo and Julian had submitted their upcoming horror movie to IMDB on a number of occasions, five to be exact, but to no avail. Despite having backing from Zapruder’s Other Films which already have IMDb listings, the Amazon-owned company continually denied The Tunnel a listing.

Earlier, Enzo told TorrentFreak that he suspected that it’s the movie’s BitTorrent-only distribution model which caused this negative reaction from IMDb.

So, in a last-ditch attempt to bring the movie listings site onside, the makers of The Tunnel penned an open letter to IMDb last week. That seems to have had the desired effect.

“We won!” shouted an excited Enzo to TorrentFreak in an email a few minutes ago.

Indeed, as can be seen from the official listing, The Tunnel now has pride of place on IMDb.

The Tunnel on IMDb

the tunnel

“I would say it’s a small victory for the project, and a bigger win for people power, which is what this project has been about from the start,” Enzo told us. “If the support the project is receiving continues, hopefully it can set a successful precedent.”

No reason has yet been given for the sudden turnaround, but those behind the movie are grateful nonetheless.

“It may seem like a small thing to IMDb, but it is an indispensable tool for us to be able to market our project effectively and help ensure it’s success,” wrote Julian and Enzo in a thank you message to IMDb.

“It’s also reassuring to see that after 20 years of operation, that you are still able to listen to your user base. We’re sure that the online clamour made by our fans and supporters has not been lost on you.”

The Tunnel will be released on BitTorrent late 2010.

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  • RIAA AGENT

    sad news.

  • Brandon

    Ha Ha IMDB recognize bittorrent distributed movies…Won’t be long now Maffia/Riaa bitches…

  • Kaptain Krunch

    Congrats to the ceators of that movie! The Internets are changing the way things were. People are starting to see that there are other ways to profit from using p2p networks. The MAFIAA needs to realize this and accept change. The smart ones know that if they study the p2p revolution, they can use it to their advantage.

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention IMDb Relents And Allows BitTorrent Movie The Tunnel a Listing | TorrentFreak -- Topsy.com

  • Curtis

    Despite the slightly misleading suggestion in the article, the film-makers still need our help! They’ve sold 20k/135k frames, so let’s give them our support not only in words but also in a way that counts!

  • Anonymous

    I remember I used to update a local copy of IMDb on my computer with weekly diffs in the early 1990s.

    It has come far from those days, but I never knew it had such rigorous rules about what to include.

    Which is surprising when you consider what kind of garbage you can find entries for in it!

  • joe

    I sent an email about this to them via the IMDB contact form. I wonder if a lot of other people did the same and it influenced their decision! I hope I was able to help.

  • mike

    well deserved

  • hmm

    Good for them lets get more movies like this and other projects like this.and wo,nt have to bother with hollyweird nonsense

  • British tangent.

    That is great news,congrats to all,and well done imdb for opening and expanding your thought process.

  • Blackplan

    Grats’ people. :D

  • Nick

    I find it a little ironic that a site called “Internet Movie Database” devalues internet movies. If every internet movie will have to go through this, then maybe it should just be called “Capitalist Movie Database”.

  • Anonymous

    Get a frame while they last:
    http://www.thetunnelmovie.net/Buyout.php

    If the movie makes any profits, you also get 1% of the profits!?

  • Anonymous

    interesting it says this film is not yet rated with a maffia logo under it

  • lorro

    IMDB are doing it out of fear that the internet will DDOS their asses if they dislike torrent movies.
    MPAA can go get F**ked

  • bill

    tunnel producers: MOM! IMDb won’t list my movie!!

  • MR mE

    @14 well said I totally agree, and its time for these corporate parasites to become extinct!!

  • Ano

    IMDb should be only for internet movies like their name implies lol

  • Anonymous

    @14 yea I thought we were gonna have to get the cannons ready again already haha

  • Anon

    Meh, they’ll still DDoS IMDB eventually, it just won’t be as much a priority anymore

  • Anon

    (19)
    +

    Can see MoS getting hit even harder though for trying to be a smartarse about it, and using another server

  • Izkata

    I kinda hope this becomes the future movie-making. I’d probably “buy a frame” of Stargate: Extinction to get it made.

  • X

    “If the movie makes any profits, you also get 1% of the profits!?”

    You can a 1 in 132,000 chance (for every frame you buy) of being chosen to receive 1% of the profits.

  • Anonymous

    I’m glad and at the same time I’ll say “The guys from IMDB are a bunch of douche-bags.” They put their pants down waaay to fast. :D

  • Anonymous

    So we can list all of our independent movies, amateur videos, webcam videos, pthc videos which have never had a proper listing yet in anyones database but the fbi’s, wow nice work indeed. Can’t wait to submit videos there…

  • Anonymous

    I’d rather use a free database (open source software, freely licensed data under Creative Commons by) such as Filmaster ( http://www.filmaster.com )

    At least, you don’t have a feudal lord which gets to decide upon everything as with IMDB. If the masters of Filmaster go mad, no problem, you can just fork everything.

  • NotSoCool

    Check out IMDb staff ratings of Tom Cruise films. Nuff said~

  • Zinger Tulips

    OH wow, that makes a lot of sense lol

    http://www.be-anon.net.tc

  • Robert

    I wonder why they would allow it in the first place, thats crazy.
    http://www.maplesyrupsource.com

  • StevO

    You people have it all wrong. Their doing it because they want subscriptions. And the ONLY reason they dint want to do it is because it goes against what their all about, Money. Ultimatley, all they want to do is sell movies, in this case they have nothing to sell.
    And enough of the tough guy, DDOS everybody. They dont live in fear of you, so lose the self grandizing attitudes. You all sound like children. Im all about torrents, dont get me wrong, Im on your side. But this is starting to become pathetic, and mostly from kids that have no REAL idea whats going on.
    -Please have some dignity and stop TALKING about it like your some almighty power that everyone fears, when indeed you probably have nothing to do with it except encourage the ones who actually do.

  • Mr. Anon

    I know I’m not the only one who wrote a letter to IMDB.

    Those of you who did that after the last TorrentFreak post about this topic; good job!

    It’s a small, but symbolic triumph for legitimacy.

  • Pingback: ?? IMDB ???????? ??? ????????? ????? ?????????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?????????? ???????????? ???? Torrent | Freeweird

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  • Ninja

    Awesome! Huge congratulations to the producers!!!!

  • Lirodon

    Excellent.

    Now, if IMDB can cave in further and add it to stream on their site, ”that” would actually be pretty good too.

  • Bobby

    Help the project by purchasing a frame or 2!

    http://www.thetunnelmovie.net/Buyout.php

  • 4chan

    Forget IMDB let’s DDOS TPB, SCC and TL.

  • Pingback: The Tunnel: rhyddhau a dosbarthu film newydd ar BitTorrent | Hacio'r Iaith

  • BTGuard - BitTorrent Anonymously

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