Bitcoin Films — recommended viewing
A timeline of the best Bitcoin-focused films, earliest first. The first two are the original Bitcoin documentaries.
1 · The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
- One of the earliest Bitcoin documentaries.
- Follows early enthusiast Daniel Mross and explores the evolution of money and Bitcoin's challenge to the traditional system.
- Features early figures like Gavin Andresen and Charlie Shrem. Great starting point.
- Watch free: YouTube (full film) · Tubi (free w/ ads)
2 · Bitcoin: The End of Money As We Know It (2015)
- Award-winning short — the other original Bitcoin doc.
- Covers the money-creation / debt process and how governments control money, then where Bitcoin fits.
- Tight, foundational watch.
- Watch: official ($1.49+) · where to watch
3 · Bitcoin Big Bang (2015)
- Follows the arrest of Mark Karpelès, CEO of Mt. Gox, after the hack in which roughly 850,000 BTC were reportedly stolen.
- A cautionary exchange-collapse story.
4 · Banking on Bitcoin (2016)
- The most popular intro documentary.
- Decentralized money and the brewing battle between Bitcoin and the banks it is meant to replace.
- A fun marker: when it had its first public showing in January 2017, one Bitcoin was worth about $998 — compare that to today's price to see how far it has come.
- Watch: where to watch
5 · Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchain & the Future of the Internet (2020)
- A broader, later look at Bitcoin and where the wider technology is heading. Same makers as #2.
- Watch: where to watch
6 · Biggest Heist Ever (Netflix, 2023)
- The 2016 Bitfinex hack — roughly 120,000 BTC stolen.
- Follows Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein, with an IRS investigator tracing the stolen funds.
- A real on-chain trace story — pairs well with our Scam Trace service.
- Watch: Netflix
7 · Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery (HBO, 2024)
- Cullen Hoback's film hunting for Satoshi's identity. The newest of the set.
- On circumstantial evidence it suggests developer Peter Todd could be Satoshi — Todd has denied it. Treat the conclusion as speculation, not fact.
- Good companion to the Origins page.
- Watch: where to watch
Want the backstory behind these films? See the Origins page — the pre-2009 ideas and the people who may be behind Satoshi.
Tip — for learning, watch in this order: #2 (short foundation) → #4 → #1, then #6 for the cautionary scam angle.