While we tend to frown on pirating movies here at Movies.com (because if no one pays for movies, how will filmmakers ever find the funding to make more?), we’re not so naive as to believe that everyone out there is paying money to see the latest features. Filmmaker Jerome Sable appears to understand this as well, and when his slasher-musical Stage Fright landed on notorious torrent site the Pirate Bay earlier this month, he took to the comment section to leave this funny and good-humored missive:

“Hello there!



Jerome Sable here, writer-director of Stage Fright. For those of you who may be interested in downloading our bizarre little indie movie: I'm excited to share the movie with you, and I'm glad there are people out there interested to see this film, which so many people worked hard on.



I have mixed feelings about pirating, because if you were someone who's really stoked to see this film but, let's say, just so happen to live in an impoverished Botswana village and can't afford to pay for it -- well, I want you to see it!



If, on the other hand, you can afford to pay for the movie, I encourage you to do so. It took us years to secure the funding for the film, and pirating hurts the success of the movie, and ultimately our ability to fund our next project.



So to recap, unless you are:



- in a third-world country and have to choose between this movie and your next meal, or

- are a real Somali pirate, or

- simply believe in "doing the wrong thing" for reasons you would rather not disclose, or

- have a lifelong vendetta against me because of some offhanded comment I accidentally made in middle school,



...then please consider purchasing the movie from iTunes, YouTube, or On-Demand. Thanks and enjoy Stage Fright!



-jerome”

We like what Sable’s done here – he’s brought attention to the fact that he knows people are pirating his film illegally, while doing so in a way that’s funny and doesn’t resort to calling anyone names -- which is generally counterproductive on a site whose main reason for existence is to allow people to pirate things illegally.

It’s easy to think of downloading the latest Hollywood blockbuster as a victimless crime when you’re reading about how The Avengers made over a billion dollars. It’s a little different when you’re downloading a copy of a new movie that struggled to find financing in the first place and will fight an uphill battle to be profitable. Sable just wants you to think about that before clicking the download button – unless, of course, you’re an actual Somali pirate, live in a Third World country, or are just person with warped morals. If that’s the case, download away with his blessing.

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