For real crypto enthusiasts, ICODA made a list of documentaries about cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. We selected only the best films to choose from.
Life on Bitcoin, 2014
This film is almost 7 years old, and today the topic it covers no longer seems so acute. The film tells about the life of a young couple who set a goal for themselves: to live for three months, paying only with cryptocurrency. Today bitcoins are accepted almost everywhere, and in 2014 it was not so easy to pay someone with cryptocurrency! The film is divided into two parts: the first tells about what bitcoin is, and the second tells about the spouses themselves and their attempts to negotiate with other people to accept cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin has been criticized since its inception. Some argue that it is impossible to live by buying everything you need exclusively with cryptocurrency and completely replacing credit cards and cash with it. To prove the opposite, one married couple decided on an unusual experiment. They had to live for 100 days, paying only with cryptocurrency. The film describes their fascinating adventure.
The main intrigue is that they started the experiment immediately after the wedding. The picture clearly showed how rare cryptocurrency is found outside major cities and how difficult it was to convince sellers to accept bitcoins as payment.
Magic Money: The Bitcoin Revolution, 2018
This movie was created to answer some of the popular questions about Bitcoin. It describes what a cryptocurrency is and its impact on society, and the formation of the first truly global digital means of payment.
Bitcoin is not controlled by traditional financial institutions but by people who use it. The picture describes the origin of cryptocurrency and its structure; the question is whether it is a step forward for society. The authors investigate in detail the mysterious origin of bitcoin and try to predict its future.
The film tells about the beginning of the history of cryptocurrencies and their path. Filming was conducted in Australia, and the film has conversations with the supporter of Bitcoin Cash Roger Ver, analyst Tony Weiss, investor, and crypto enthusiast Trace Mayer, crypto entrepreneur Jeff Berwick and other prominent representatives of the industry. Most of the time is given to Roger Vera and his reflections about the revolutionary nature of bitcoin. He believes that cryptocurrencies will one day replace fiat funds in everyday settlements, taking away financial power from banks and authorities and transferring it to ordinary users. The film also shows examples of how digital assets are used by people in the world’s poorest countries who could not access banking services.
The Blockchain and Us, 2017
Swiss director Manuel Stagars describes the state of the blockchain in 2017 with the help of numerous interviews with experts from five countries. The film tells the story of the blockchain and the position of bitcoin in the world at the time of filming. The film «The Blockchain and Us» lasts only half an hour, and during this time, the following questions are raised: how blockchain can benefit countries’ economies, how blockchain will change society, and what it means for each of us. The author admits that he intentionally raises more questions than he gives answers.
The film was shown at the Davos Economic Forum and several documentary film festivals, translated into eight languages, and considered one of the best documentaries. This documentary film is amazing for its brevity and, at the same time, filled with meaning. This documentary film will give you a lot of new information and make you think about important issues. In this film, you will also hear expert opinions that will unveil the secrets of the crypto world and its events.
Deep Web, 2015
The documentary film, directed by Alex Winter, tells about how the Internet developed – anonymous, decentralized, and also dangerous. In particular, we are talking about the online trading resource Silk Road, through which banned substances were sold.
The film also reveals the bitcoin payment system and the concept of the «deep web». The film starred well-known crypto-anarchists (Cody Wilson), digital security specialists (Nicholas Weaver), and bitcoin enthusiasts (actor Keanu Reeves). The film was presented to the public at the South By Southwest Film Festival.
Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain, 2018
This documentary film is an excellent introduction to the world of blockchain, which describes the key principles of the technology. The author understands what decentralized distributed registries and cryptocurrencies are, their advantages and risks, and the practical applications they have already found. The main question is, does the blockchain deserve trust?
The answer is yes: blockchain can change the financial world and help in the fight against income inequality and poverty in developing countries. There are many interviews with famous representatives of the crypto world in the film, and Rosario Dawson, an American actress, singer, and writer, comments on it. This documentary film will interest both an expert and a newbie in the world of blockchain. Watching this movie will not just be an evening rest but a whole study of an important issue in the world of crypto.
Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet, 2020
In 2015, Australian Torsten Hoffman made the film «Bitcoin: The End Of Money As We Know It», telling about what bitcoin is, why it is needed, how it will change the world and why it is the future of the financial system (It is also worth watching for a full understanding, but a lot of data has changed since then and the film is a bit outdated).
This year, the author has released a new documentary film, analyzing how the coin has traveled in five years and overestimating its prospects. Hoffman remains confident that bitcoin is the next life of the financial system. This time, the main attention is focused on whether cryptocurrencies can become the basis for a new decentralized Internet. This question is of interest to many who have been involved in the crypto world for a long time.
Dope, 2015
The topic of cryptocurrency is so popular that in addition to documentaries and scientific films, there are also feature films devoted to this topic. In their genre, they are in no way inferior to other films. The film tells about Malcolm, a teenager from Inglewood, a poor area of Los Angeles. He dreams of going to Harvard, but the school counselor thinks that the guy has no chance.
After participating in an underground party, he finds a large batch of ecstasy, a gun, and an iPhone in his bag — the teenager is involved in the drug trade. To survive, he and his friends create a website for selling narcotic substances for bitcoins. Find out if Malcolm can get out of this story and go to Harvard. This movie is appealing due to its twisted plot, popular themes, and interesting characters – everything collected there for an eye-catching movie.
