A Good Intro To Bitcoin In ..

The independent film Banking on Bitcoin, covering Bitcoin's roots, its possible futures and its underlying technology, is now on Netflix. “Bitcoin is the most disruptive invention since the internet, and now an ideological battle is underway between fringe utopists and mainstream capitalism,” reads the Netflix news release. Banking on Bitcoin is a good film, professionally produced. On the hugely popular Netflix platform, the film will give many newcomers an understandable first introduction. The overall impression is that this a good historic and ideological overview of Bitcoin’s first development phase but it’s in need of a sequel. At the same time, Bitcoin and crypto enthusiasts are likely to find two shortcomings: First, the film dedicates too much time to stale old news like Silk Road and BitLicense, and not enough to new developments. Bitcoin Magazine reached out to the film’s director/writer/producer Christopher Cannucciari and associate producer Phillip Galinsky to find out more about the film’s background and their future plans. What is your background, and what has been your role in the film,

Christopher Cannucciari: I had become interested in digital currency while I was producing a 2009 documentary in Kenya and some locals had introduced me to what would become mpesa. Phillip Galinsky: I’ve been involved in the film since the beginning when it was just Chris working in the role of Director and myself working in the role of Producer. Chris and I were working together on an unrelated project over a three-day shoot and I kept noticing (and occasionally mentioning to other members of the production team) that the price of bitcoin was skyrocketing. Others working on the project seemed skeptical at first, but as the weekend drew on and the price nearly doubled, people became more interested. Chris and a number of other team members asked me to explain what bitcoin was and how it worked. I introduced Chris to the NYC bitcoin community and we worked together on the many components of documentary film production. What is the main message that viewers should take away,

Christopher Cannucciari: Before the public passes judgement on Bitcoin, they deserve to know where it came from, how it works and how it fits into society. ] the shoulders of the Cypherpunks. ] accelerants. Society can use it as a tool however they see fit, and our hope is that those who wish to learn about Bitcoin will understand that it is there for them to participate as much as anyone. The story of Bitcoin is just too big to fit in a single film. Banking on Bitcoin is a primer for what Bitcoin is, where it came from and how it survived its initial challenges. As a primer, the audience can then dig in deeper and discover the many more complex stories. We certainly could have tried to fit in many more stories, subjects and details, but the film would have lost its focus rather quickly. It was essential for us to honor the initiated while holding the attention of those who wanted an entry point to this amazing subject. Vitalik Buterin appears in a couple of scenes but is never mentioned, and Ethereum is never mentioned.

Christopher Cannucciari: I held interviews with Vitalik in Toronto, Wences Casares in Silicon Valley and even traveled to the Bitcoin Bowl in Florida. As much as I wish I could have kept these stories in the film, we had to keep focus on what was unfolding before us in New York. Ethereum deserves its own story and perhaps we can find a way to tell that story in the future. You often mention the tension between the original libertarian, crypto-anarchist spirit of Bitcoin and its new "sanitized" mainstream aspects, Ben Lawsky's regulations and Blythe Masters' Wall Street blockchains. What's your own take, This is not to say that all blockchain based systems will be positive or bear normative value from a moral consequentialist perspective. Is the end meant to suggest that Craig Wright is Satoshi, What is your own bet, Christopher Cannucciari: It’s very interesting how this is a sensitive issue. ] was. The carousel of Satoshi’s identity will continue; Wright will not be the last to come forward. While Wright is most certainly not Satoshi, some have suggested that he was a drop for the real Satoshi. The timing was interesting, Wright was in need of capital to settle some big debts and all of a sudden he was in possession of some valuable, early Satoshi-era Bitcoins. For those who want to play the Satoshi game, I added this breadcrumb to keep the search on. The Bitcoin/blockchain story is far from over. Are you working on a sequel to the film, and what role does blockchain technology play in your future work,