Bitcoin FilmFest 2025: Stories no one else is telling
From space-bound pop art to stand-up about fart coins, Bitcoin’s weird and wonderful side on full display in Warsaw
"Bitcoin attracts idealistic, altruistic, wonderful people." That was how writer and filmmaker Aaron Koenig, one of this year’s panellists, described the crowd at Bitcoin FilmFest 2025.
Held in Warsaw from May 22–25, the third edition of the festival brought together more than 200 attendees from 20 plus countries – filmmakers, musicians, educators, and curious newcomers – all drawn by a shared belief that culture shifts when money does.
And it started with rain. On Thursday night – Bitcoin Pizza Day – the courtyard of Samo Centrum filled slowly with people shielding from the drizzle, crowding together under awnings while DJ MadMunky, of art collective 2140.wtf, tested the sound.
You’d think the weather would dampen the mood – but no. People stayed, huddled together, laughed. They passed around pizza boxes and talked to strangers.
By Friday morning, the sky had cleared, the doors and windows to Amondo café were swung open wide, and the vibe that had quietly taken root under the rain clouds was suddenly everywhere – casual, open, and effortlessly welcoming.
There was no backstage, no green room, no separation between guests and speakers. It didn’t feel like watching an event from the outside – it felt like being in the middle of it. The kind of atmosphere that, it was confirmed, will return to Warsaw next June.
In motion – the flow of the week
MadMunky on the decks and ABBE performing at Samo Centrum on opening night of Bitcoin FilmFest 2025
As the festival rolled on, BFF25 settled into a rhythm that blurred scheduled programming with spontaneous encounters. Mornings at Amondo became a kind of open-plan HQ – good coffee, open windows, and informal sessions from Bitcoin career chats with Bitvocation to hands-on security workshops by Cryptosteel.
Afternoons shifted to Kinoteka in the Palace of Culture and Science, where screenings, panels, and meetups unfolded against a backdrop of handmade posters and grassroots art. Upstairs, groups like 2140 hosted community-led discussions while artists, educators, and newcomers crossed paths in the halls.
Evenings kept the energy high. Friday’s afterparty brought the energy to Morph Club, with sets from Akme, Andy Princz, and a surprise appearance by Aaron Koenig. While Saturday’s afterparty headed back to the Palace – in a grand, baroque-style club hidden inside the sprawling complex.
Amid the screenings, workshops, and art installations, the festival also made space for humor – with a Bitcoin-themed stand-up set by American comedian Robert Le Ricain, who riffed on everything from crypto heartbreak to “fart coin” mining.
“Bitcoin isn’t funny, okay,” he deadpanned – before proving it could be, with lines like “I am the yield” and “My mood doesn’t change with the weather. It changes with the price action.” The laughs landed, and so did the message: Bitcoin culture is serious about not taking itself too seriously.
And the week didn’t end when the schedule did – Monday saw group chat invites to a Bitcoin-themed walk through Warsaw and a trip to a local shooting range. An unconventional farewell to a week built on freedom, creativity, and action.
Celebrating creativity – awards, pitches, and standout winners
The BFF Awards ceremony closed the main festival weekend, recognizing creators for outstanding contributions to Bitcoin storytelling. Winners were selected through both jury and audience votes, while the POW Ad Awards celebrated the year’s best Bitcoin marketing.
Pitching Rabbits – seven bold visions for Bitcoin cinema
Jenna Reid’s Network Effect spotlights the Bitcoin Ekasi Center in South Africa’s circular economy – this year’s Pitching Rabbits winner. Photo: Jenna Reid
This year’s Pitching Rabbits competition spotlighted seven creative projects-in-progress with genres as diverse as social documentary, animated sci-fi, philosophical drama, and surreal maritime legend.
-
Jenna Reid won the $3,000 prize for Network Effect, a documentary series highlighting grassroots Bitcoin communities worldwide. Her next episode will focus on Uganda, following the success of her South Africa pilot.
-
Aaron Koenig pitched Satoshi's Last Will, an adult animated sci-fi crime thriller set in 2049, where microstates compete with authoritarian powers over the cryptographic keys to Satoshi’s hidden Bitcoin.
-
Kristina Weiserova presented Bitcoin Pizza Day: Humans are Level Zero, a multi-layered docudrama reimagining the 10,000 BTC pizza story across three timelines, blending comedy, social commentary, and philosophy.
-
Mr Black introduced Break from the Tribe, a 20-minute philosophical action short inspired by Paul Rosenberg, exploring Free Souls, FBI agents, and the pursuit of radical independence.
-
Philip Charter proposed 21 Futures based on one story from his recently released fictional anthology of the same name.
-
Oswaldo Horowitz returned with The Legend of Landi, an experimental documentary tracing the rise and fall of a Bitcoin-powered floating micronation in the Indian Ocean – this time seeking funds to complete the ending by submerging a 2.5-meter bronze head of its protagonist at sea.
- Martin Piga pitched Parallel Space, a documentary following real-life opt-outs from the traditional system – stateless individuals, voluntaryists, and off-grid Bitcoiners – who are quietly building parallel societies without asking permission.
Proof of Work, proof of message – Bitcoin’s best campaigns
Bitcoin FilmFest founder Tomek K shows off the paw-inspired POW award for best Bitcoin-related ad prior to the ceremony
The POW – Proof of Work Ad Awards also returned to honor the year’s most impactful Bitcoin visuals and branding. Mempool took home two top prizes – Visual Category and the overall Grand Prix – for its sharp design and storytelling.
Start9 won in the Identity Category, while the Audience Choice Award for best outdoor art project went to Street Cyber, a crowd favorite for its gritty, Bitcoin-infused city installations.
Proof of Reel – this year’s winning Bitcoin films
Spanish-speaking film Hotel Bitcoin won the award for Best Story at Bitcoin FilmFest 2025. Photo: Hotel Bitcoin
In the film categories, Artur Machado won Best Short Film for Satoshi, the Creation of Bitcoin, a poetic take on the origin story of the protocol.
Best Story went to Hotel Bitcoin, directed by Manuel Sanabria and Carlos Villaverde, blending comedy and commentary on Bitcoin’s disruptive potential.
The Best Film award was claimed by No More Inflation by Bitcoin Shooter, who also directed the winning Start9 campaign – making him a double winner in both artistic and advertising categories.
And the Audience Choice Award, voted on by all attendees of the festival, went to the documentary Revolución Bitcoin by Juan Pablo Mejía.
Conversations on the record – interviews with creators
Michael Parenti – Bitcoin as a mirror, not a messiah
Michael Parenti with The Crypto Radio’s Bo Jablonski, sharing reflections on Bitcoin’s cultural complexity and calling for critical thinking beyond tribal narratives
Known as “Exiled Surfer,” Parenti brought a skeptical, reflective voice to BFF25. “Bitcoin is as complex as humanity,” he said, challenging simplistic narratives. With experience dating back to the white paper, he urged people to think independently. “Being a guardian of Bitcoin means encouraging people to actually research and think for themselves, rather than following the latest influencer.”
He stressed that Bitcoin doesn’t have a universal meaning. “We have 172–179 countries… humanity is incredibly complex.” What looks like “banking the unbanked” in the West, he said, is often about “unbanking the banked.” His vision isn’t maximalist – it’s cultural. “Bitcoin doesn’t change humanity. It changes how we can choose to interact with each other.”
Full story coming soon!
Roger9000 – Love songs for Bitcoin
Roger9000 and Bo Jablonski talk music, chocolate-making, and monetary freedom
At BFF25, one of the most distinctive voices wasn’t behind a camera – it was on stage with a mic. Musician Roger9000 brought his philosophy of “love songs for Bitcoin” to life, delivering a set that fused sound and sovereignty in equal measure. “Bitcoin is a new mythology. It’s inclusive of being mysterious,” he told The Crypto Radio.
Roger9000 performed on opening night, helping set the tone for a rebellious and emotionally charged weekend. Beyond music, he’s writing a book, making Bitcoin chocolate, and experimenting with new models of creative independence. “Bitcoin is all about balancing humanity so that we start to value the human things,” he said.
Full interview out soon. Watch this space!
Dr. Ioni Appelberg – A civilizational upgrade
Dr. Ioni Appelberg with Bo Jablonski outside the Palace, talking about Bitcoin as a civilizational upgrade for future generations
Dr. Ioni Appelberg, a medical doctor and author, shared his sweeping vision of Bitcoin’s impact at BFF25. “Bitcoin is final money. It is the last form of money that humanity will ever need, as long as we’re bound to the earth,” he told The Crypto Radio.
He believes fiat currency distorts behaviour by encouraging short-termism and moral erosion. “Money is a mental operating system,” he said. Bitcoin, by contrast, supports long-term thinking, self-sovereignty, and future generations: “Bitcoin is an ambassador for the unborn generations, protecting their right to our functioning economy.”
For Appelberg, Bitcoin is also a tool for space exploration: “We are standing on the shores of the cosmos, and the waters are looking inviting.”
Full story coming soon!
Pop Art Princess – Bringing Bitcoin to the moon
Pop Art Princess with her artwork and Bo Jablonski, sharing her vision to take Bitcoin art to the moon
Polish artist Pop Art Princess is blending Bitcoin with space-age ambition. She became the first Polish artist exhibited at Kennedy Space Center, with her work set to fly to the moon on nickel coins through a collaboration with Copernic Space and Lady Rocket. “Our main mission is to set Bitcoin an official currency of space,” she told Guardians of Bitcoin.
Since 2021, she’s used mixed media – holographic fabrics, sequins, even Fauci crystals – to tell stories about Bitcoin. “I didn’t want to do empty paintings without meanings,” she said. One recent piece features the Addams Family as crypto pioneers: “I’m sure Gomez would’ve bought Bitcoin in 2009.”
Her goal is to make Bitcoin part of pop culture – and space history. “Sky is the limit – we’re already on the moon,” she said. With each new piece, she’s building a visual language where art, money, and myth collide.
Full story coming soon!
Jenna Reid – Bitcoin for survival, not speculation
Aspiring filmmaker Jenna Reid with Bo Jablonski after winning the Pitching Rabbits award for Network Effect
Documentary filmmaker Jenna Reid won the $3,000 Pitching Rabbits award to fund the next episode of her series Network Effect – set to be filmed in Uganda. The first episode, shot in the Bitcoin Ekasi circular economy in South Africa, is still in post-production, but an early draft previewed at the festival offered a glimpse into her approach: letting local voices lead.
“For many people, it’s the first time they’ve had a way to store money safely,” she said. Without access to ID documents or secure savings, residents face constant risk – and Bitcoin, in their hands, becomes a tool for resilience.
“It’s freedom – the ownership of something no one can take away from you,” she said. With future episodes planned in Uganda and beyond, she hopes to challenge Western narratives around crypto.
Full story coming soon!
Martin Piga – Parallel societies without permission
Martin Piga with Bo Jablonski outside Amondo cafe, speaking about Bitcoin as a tool for voluntary, stateless living
Slovak filmmaker Martin Piga presented Parallel Space, a documentary spotlighting people who are quietly exiting traditional systems to build voluntary, decentralized lives. “Every interaction in one’s life has to be voluntary,” he said.
Drawing from three years of global research, the film follows a movement of some 30 million stateless or nomadic individuals who rely on tools like Bitcoin to live freely. “Bitcoin is a peaceful revolution. It’s starting from the bottom,” Piga said. His goal: to show how technology enables real-world alternatives – not as rebellion, but as reconstruction.
Full story coming soon!
Dusan Matsuka – Mining, mentoring, and soft power
Dusan Matsuka and Bo Jablonski discussing Bitcoin-funded education in the Global South outside the Palace
With hydro-powered mining and grassroots educators, educator Dusan Matsuka shared his mission to reach 100 million people. Working across Paraguay, Honduras, and Ethiopia, he uses mining profits from excess hydroelectric energy to fund Bitcoin education.
“We don’t want to educate everyone fully. We want to inspire people to walk through the journey on their own,” he said. His Bitcoin Educator Academy has already trained hundreds through cartoons, games, and local-led workshops.
“Bitcoin means freedom. It means we can bring an age of cooperation, fellowship, and harmony,” he said. For him, Bitcoin is more than money – it’s an opportunity to build a decentralized, caring world.
Full story coming soon!
Psyfer – Bitcoin as performance art
Bitcoin maximalist Psyfer with Bo Jablonski, bringing Bitcoin into culture through art, teaching, and performance
At Cyphermunk House in London, Psyfer is building a cultural home for Bitcoin. “Bitcoin is freedom,” he said. “It’s magic internet money presenting new worlds for how we can live together.”
He teaches weekly classes, stages exhibitions, and performs a theatrical piece called Prometheus, which embeds Bitcoin into the storyline itself. “It’s about bringing Bitcoin into real life – not just in code, but in culture.”
Psyfer is also working on Angor protocol, a crowdfunding tool designed to hold projects accountable. “It’s a game changer for investment,” he said. “If a team doesn’t deliver, investors can pull their funds.”
Full story coming soon!
Aaron Koenig – The culture must dissolve
Aaron Koenig performs a set at the Friday night afterparty at Morph Club in Warsaw
Veteran Bitcoiner, author, filmmaker, and musician Aaron Koenig believes today’s Bitcoin subculture won’t last forever – and that’s a good thing. “In 20 years, this culture has to be gone,” he told The Crypto Radio. “It’s the growing pains of a revolutionary technology.”
While he appreciates the memes and rituals that bring Bitcoiners together now, Koenig sees them fading as Bitcoin becomes mainstream. “We don’t call people ‘internet users’ anymore. Bitcoin will go the same way.”
Full story coming soon!
Oswaldo Horowitz – Life on the edge
British director Oswaldo Horowitz has coffee with The Crypto Radio's Bo Jablonski outside Amondo cafe
Filmmaker Oswaldo Horowitz is telling one of Bitcoin’s strangest real-world stories – that of Samuele Landi, a fugitive who built a floating platform between Dubai and Iran to live freely using crypto. “He didn’t just opt out,” Horowitz told The Crypto Radio. “He built his own rules in the sea.”
The documentary explores Landi’s radical life, from blockchain elections in Liberia to rescues in Oman – all while evading Interpol. For Horowitz, it’s about more than one man. “We’re all building myths,” he said. “Some just do it offshore.”
Scardust – Satoshi in metal
Scardust brings Bitcoin into the world of metal, exploring the emotional journey of Satoshi Nakamoto in their music video
Rock band Scardust used their music video RIP to explore Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto’s emotional journey. “We wanted to show Satoshi as a person, not just a symbol,” singer Noa Gruman told The Crypto Radio.
As Lahav Levi, who created the video for the track, explains, the lyrics "stripping down the armor to reveal all the lies" suggest Satoshi knew from the beginning that his persona would need to disappear for the cryptocurrency to truly succeed. The video leaves Satoshi's ultimate destination ambiguous, walking towards a bright light after methodically erasing his digital existence.
Full interview out soon. Watch this space!
hereRobertson – Make money, literally
Mars Robertson with his artwork and The Crypto Radio's Bo Jablonski, explaining why he started 'making money' – literally
Artist and hacker Mars Robertson brought a provocative approach to Bitcoin art: creating his own currency. “First of all, what's the best way to make money? So I started making money,” he said.
His work questions the very foundations of fiat. “Banks can print money whenever they want – I wanted to flip that narrative,” he explained. By blending artistic expression with critique of financial systems, Mars uses creativity as a Trojan horse for Bitcoin ideas. “Art has the capacity to pass through personal censorship libraries,” he said.
For Mars, the message is clear: “The future of planet Earth will be based on Bitcoin.”
Bitcoin FilmFest 2026
Roger9000 might have put it best: “The more I travel, the more I realize the world becomes my home.” For one week in Warsaw, Bitcoiners made that home a courtyard, a cinema, a club – and they’ll be back to do it all again next year. Bitcoin FilmFest returns to Kinoteka on June 5–7, 2026.
