The Oscar-winning movie director Roman Polanski should not have to serve time in prison for unlawfully having sex with a 13-year-old girl more than 30 years ago, the victim now says.

The French-Polish filmmaker fled America to France in 1978 before he was sentenced, and Samantha Geimer, now 45 years old with three sons, said in an interview with Reuters that she wants the case resolved.

“I don’t think he needs to be locked up forever and no one has ever come out ever besides me and accused him of anything,” Ms. Geimer, who settled a confidential civil suit with Polanski more than 10 years ago, said. A documentary, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival and will air on HBO on Monday, throws a spotlight on the case.

“It was all so overwhelming,” Ms. Geimer, who lives in Hawaii, said. “What happened that night, it’s hard to believe, but it paled in comparison to what happened to me in the next year of my life,” she said, referring to the media frenzy surrounding the trial. She was relieved when Polanski fled, she added, because the media attention died down.

The filmmaker, now 74, was charged with several counts, including rape by use of drugs, but in a deal pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor. He bolted to France, where he is a citizen and cannot be extradited by America.