The Most Wanted Man Online Arrives On Demand This August
Gravitas Ventures has secured U.S. as well as the Foreign Sales rights to territories outside North America for the documentary Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web about the embattled notorious Internet hacker.
Born Kim Schmitz in Northern Germany, Dotcom moved to New Zealand with his family, taking up residence in the ‘grandest house in the land’. Shortly after arriving in early 2012, Dotcom was raided and arrested by the New Zealand police who were acting on behalf of the FBI – and has been fighting extradition to the U.S. ever since. Charges against him span copyright infringement, racketeering, conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. If convicted, the alleged ‘Pirate King’ and his three co-defendants could face up to 80 years in prison. But Dotcom maintains firmly that his infamous platform Megaupload was merely providing a service, and under current copyright law, he is not responsible for the actions of its millions of users.
The larger-than-life tale of Dotcom, the “most wanted man online,” is extraordinary enough, but the battle between Dotcom and both the U.S. government and entertainment industry is one that goes to the heart of ownership, privacy and piracy in the digital age. Three years in the making, but timely in its subject matter, the story chronicles a spectacular moment in global online history, dubbed the ‘largest copyright case’ ever. The documentary features a myriad of interviews, not just with Kim Dotcom and his ex-wife Mona Dotcom, but with a range of commentators, old friends, critics and participants including Glenn Greenwald, Dotcom’s chief global counsel Ira Rothken, Larry Lessig, Gabriella Coleman, Jonathan Taplin, Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, Jimmy Wales, MPAA’s Steve Fabrizio, and Moby amongst others.
The film had its world premiere at SXSW in March and just came from its Canadian premiere at North America’s largest documentary film festival, Hot Docs. While the film continues its festival run, Gravitas is working with the producers to align the film for an August 22nd release in the U.S. and beyond. Given the film’s subject matter, the aim is to give audiences around the world simultaneous access to the documentary.
“We were drawn to this fascinating documentary because love or hate Kim Dotcom, it is hard to take your eyes off this iconoclastic renegade,” stated Gravitas CEO and Founder Nolan Gallagher.
“I am excited to be working with Gravitas. It’s great to have U.S. distribution and sales under one roof. That should make a global day-and–date easier to achieve,” stated Producer Alexander Behse.
Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web was written and directed by Annie Goldson (Brother Number One, An Island Calling, Georgie Girl and Punitive Damage). Alexander Behse (Poi-E: The Story of Our Song, Ever the Land, My Year with Helen [EP]) produced. Nolan Gallagher for Gravitas and Nate Bolotin of XYZ Films negotiated the acquisition on behalf of the producer Alexander Behse.