Between the static of mainstream cinema, a signal flares: a festival where films are funded on Lightning, directors wear “Fix the Money” hoodies, and plot twists involve breaking the banking system. This is the Bitcoin Film Festival (BFF), where storytellers, pixels and blockchain, collide to redefine culture in the age of digital sovereignty.
Born from an experiment to screen bitcoin-centric videos at a local meetup, BFF has exploded into a global phenomenon, stitching together a tapestry of films that challenge fiat narratives and celebrate the audacity of financial freedom.
Here, cinema isn’t just entertainment—it’s a manifesto. Directors debut dystopian animations about central bank cartels, philosophers debate monetary rebellion over Lightning-powered popcorn, and attendees forge alliances that ripple far beyond the theater’s walls. 
First Steps
- What gap in the cultural or bitcoin ecosystem inspired the launch of a bitcoin-focused film festival?
To answer this question, let’s share a short story of how it all started. At first, there was just an idea: gather a few videos about bitcoin and show them at a local meetup.
Pretty quickly, it turned out that the available content was good—way more than just “a few videos.” There were already some feature films and shorts that deserved to be shown to a bigger audience.
Also, seeing the growing bitcoin adoption versus the still-low awareness about its immersive potential motivated us even more to build something unique—a film festival at the intersection of technology and culture. After all, cinema has an incredible power: it teaches, entertains, inspires, and connects people at the same time.
The first edition of BFF in 2023 set a new standard. There hadn’t been a regular event in the space that focused on bitcoin ethos, movies, and culture. Simply put, we took care of that.
The second edition, bringing over 300 people from all over the world to Warsaw and screening more than 10 movies, animations, and shorts—including 3 world premieres—definitely created many unique moments that still resonate with attendees and media.
The next edition, already set for May—BFF25—is bringing in a few novelties, like fiction, commercials, and AI, raising the bar even higher while staying focused on the core lineup: independent films.
Building on Bitcoin
- Do you see Bitcoin FilmFest as an artistic platform, a tool for adoption, or both?
Both. Our mission is to support independent cinema and the culture built on decentralization, truth, and creativity. That’s why we can be “classified” as an artistic platform. At the same time, many of the works we showcase raise awareness, educate, motivate, and so on, which can, in a way, make us also a tool for adoption—indirectly.
Actually, Bitcoin FilmFest operates on many levels. For example: Beyond organizing events, year-round, we’re connecting talents, distributing updates, and helping independent creators be seen and heard—in this sense, we serve as an info and networking hub.
On the other hand, as an event, because BFF isn’t just another conference but a community-driven cultural experience, we help others build meaningful relationships and exchange experiences, which in turn strengthens the entire bitcoin ecosystem.
- How do you curate films? Are submissions required to explicitly address bitcoin, or broader themes of financial sovereignty?
When it comes to the event, the selection is based on unique and valuable content, as well as creators who join us in person. BFF aims to bring face-to-face experiences, face—not just to run a screening event.
Here, just like the content we promote year-round beyond the festival, we primarily focus on titles that address bitcoin, but we don’t exclude productions built on bold stories, truth, and financial or personal sovereignty.
Examples include: GODS OF THEIR OWN RELIGION, DEATH ATHLETIC – A DISSIDENT ARCHITECTURE, UNBANKABLE, PLANDEMIC THE MUSICAL, with the first two being part of BFF24—and the last two included in this year’s program.
- Beyond screenings, what activities (panels, workshops, art) make Bitcoin FilmFest unique?
A lot depends on the specific edition and its main theme. But generally, beyond the screenings, attendees can expect meetings with creators, thematic panels, dynamic presentations, as well as film and artistic workshops.
On top of that, there’s always room for other components, including philosophy and social layers, with various activities focused on networking, games, creative sessions, concerts, and more. Join us in May in Warsaw—come see for yourself how it feels!
- How is bitcoin woven into the festival experience (e.g., ticket sales, filmmaker payments, merch)?
Yes, Bitcoin—both on-chain and Lightning Network—is the core: from ticket sales for the festival to the payments we accept on-site, and even funding that can reach creators.
Warsaw isn’t yet a city that widely accepts BTC, but we’re clever in finding ways to work around this barrier. Besides, every event helps with local adoption. Hence, your presence matters so much.
What’s Next?
- How can people attend, submit films, or follow updates for BFF25?
Attending: Buy your ticket online directly through our website. By the way, until around the end of March, we still have Early Birds (€55), and for your readers, a discount code: LN-NEWS with 10% off.
Submissions: The process is simple—just fill out this form or send us an email. After a few days, someone from our team will reach out to continue the conversation.
Updates about the upcoming edition will mostly be communicated on socials (X, Nostr, LinkedIn, Bitcoin Cinema Chat), but also via email. It’s worth joining our mailing list since monthly we send out an interesting newsletter, Bitcoin Cinema Digest, with updates, news, reviews, and more—strictly about independent movies. Pure signal, zero noise.
- How can the Bitcoin community support Bitcoin FilmFest?
In many ways. The most important thing is to actively participate. Everything matters: staying up-to-date with the information we publish, giving feedback to creators, sharing their work further, building relationships, and so on.
You can also support new ideas and the process of creation through, for example, Geyser Fund. If someone has a spark, they can try their hand at filmmaking: documentaries, dramas, features, shorts, animations, AI clips, fiction stories, video ads, and so on—all forms are needed to enrich the space.
Of course, joining our events in person would be the highest level of supporting our project.
Hope to see you at #BFF25, Warsaw PL, May 22-25.
