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The first documentary film about the blockchain

The award-winning The Blockchain and Us is the first documentary film about blockchain technology. It has screened internationally, including in Davos at the World Economic Forum, in Vienna at the Open Everything Film Festival (winner best documentary short), in Melbourne at the Transitions Film Festival, in Amsterdam at the Fraude Film Festival, in London at the Everyman Theatre and at Coinscrum, in Minneapolis at the Analytics and Financial Innovation Conference (AXFI), in Zurich at Tech Tuesday, and in Tokyo at the Swiss Chamber of Commerce an Industry in Japan (SCCIJ). The film has been translated in Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese.

  • Scinema
  • Chagrin
  • Transitions
  • IIFF
  • Fraude
  • Golden Tree
  • Open Everything

What people are saying about the film

Excellent documentary. I was hesitant to watch it because I thought it might be more explanation than application. I can find enough videos for the explanation part. Instead this gave an excellent view from the companies and people working with it. I was very pleased to hear how many of them see this as a true opportunity for the whole population not just a way to make a quick buck.

– Jonathan Cooper, YouTube

Amazing work putting this documentary together! Very Informative and insightful. As a long time believer in blockchain-based technologies, this documentary was very refreshing and inspiring.

– Fightmax Gaming, YouTube

Without bitcoin, there would be no blockchain. Every industry is now looking at using the blockchain.

– Dodjie Santos, YouTube

Nicely done! But holy s***, Swiss people and their accent… 

– Mr Knuk, YouTube

Wish there was a documentary or at least footage of what people said about the Internet before it got going, or anyone speculating about technology we all use every day now.

– Nora Germain, YouTube

Great work. I am a believer in blockchain technology, your documentary laid it all out very succinctly. There is really no excuse to be ignorant about the phenomenon. I have shared this on my Facebook page. Thanks!

– Teck Low, YouTube

Absolutely excellent. Thank you so much for your passion and immense work to put this together for the masses to learn and be inspired by the blockchain. I’ll be sharing and hope that everyone I know will watch this and catch the message.

– Dani Walker, YouTube

Now that there is an instrument to decentralize finance, it’s a matter of applying it. That will be the hard part, banks will fight, but that’s also where the opportunities are.

– Marc P, YouTube

Really insightful quote by Elizabeth Stark: “Necessity is not just the mother of invention, but the mother of ADOPTION”.

– Matthew McKean, YouTube

Ignore the blockchain at your own peril. I wonder if we have learned how fast these types of things are happening in our world today? It will be amazing to see how this unfolds.

– Scott Ales, YouTube

Very interesting and well done documentary on blockchain technology. Clearly the revolution of our world for global transactions of all kinds.

– Michael Vingerhoet, YouTube

Thank you very much! I believe the time horizons for dramatic societal change are conservative. When a lack of trust dissolves, creativity flourishes. I believe the change will accelerate before it tapers off.

– Ryan Day, YouTube

Beautiful, elegant, insightful, interesting. Thanks for creating.

– Bruce Thomson, YouTube

Great content, Manuel. I added it to my article on “The Best Bitcoin Documentaries”. Thanks for your contribution to the bitcoin space.

– 101 Bitcoin Reasons, YouTube

Goosebump video!

– Marius Klingl, YouTube

Reminds me of a Werner Herzog film.

– Egor, YouTube

Me gustó mucho este documental; como entusiasta de blockchain te digo gracias por postearlo.

– J.Gabriel Parra Cortes, YouTube

Great documentary Manuel and crew! Very cool corporation perspectives and long term vision potential of blockchains. The question is ‘will we’? Best line.

– John, YouTube

What is the Blockchain?

blockchain, NOUN /ˈblɒktʃeɪn/
A digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly.
From en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/blockchain

A mysterious white paper (Nakamoto, Satoshi, 2008, “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”) introduced the Bitcoin blockchain, a combination of existing technologies that ensures the integrity of data without a trusted party. It consists of a ledger that can’t be changed and a consensus algorithm—a way for groups to agree. Unlike existing databases in banks and other institutions, a network of users updates and supports the blockchain—a system somewhat similar to Wikipedia, which users around the globe maintain and double-check. The cryptocurrency Bitcoin is the first use case of the blockchain, but much more seems to be possible.

The Next Generation of the Internet

The first 40 years of the Internet brought e-mail, social media, mobile applications, online shopping, Big Data, Open Data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. Information technology is at the heart of everything today—good and bad. Despite advances in privacy, security, and inclusion, one thing is still missing from the Internet: Trust. Enter the blockchain.

The Blockchain and Us: The Project

When the Wright brothers invented the airplane in 1903, it was hard to imagine there would be over 500,000 people traveling in the air at any point in time today. In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto invented Bitcoin and the blockchain. For the first time in history, his invention made it possible to send money around the globe without banks, governments or any other intermediaries. Satoshi is a mystery character, and just like the Wright brothers, he solved an unsolvable problem. The concept of the blockchain isn’t very intuitive. But still, many people believe it is a game changer. Despite its mysterious beginnings, the blockchain might be the airplane of our time.

Manuel Stagars portrays this exciting technology in interviews with software developers, cryptologists, researchers, entrepreneurs, consultants, VCs, authors, politicians, and futurists from the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the UK, and Australia.

How can the blockchain benefit the economies of nations? How will it change society? What does this mean for each of us? The Blockchain and Us is no explainer video of the technology. It gives a view on the topic, makes it accessible and starts a conversation about its potential wider implications in a non-technical way. The film deliberately poses more questions than it answers. For a deep dive, see all full-length interviews from the film here. Additional information about the project is in the Q&A and Disclaimer.

Stills from the Film

A Film by Manuel Stagars

Manuel Stagars is a Swiss film director and autor. His documentary films focus on science, innovation and technology and their impact on society.

www.manuelstagars.com

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Interviews from the film

 

Additional Conversations and Special Thanks

Many people and organizations helped to make this project happen by contributing their ideas, advice, time and access to their networks. Special thanks to all of you (list in alphabetical order of last names).

Press

 

How Cryptocurrency Works: Best Books, Podcasts, Films and More, Digital Information World, 17 November 2018

More Bitcoin Documentaries for Crypto Fans (German), Crypto News, 24 October 2018

Film and Panel to Examine Blockchain Applications During Fest, Chagrin Valley Today, 4 October 2018

Top Documentary Films: The Blockchain and Us, 1 October 2018

The Blockchain and Us is in the Top 30 Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Podcasts, Listennotes.com, 21 August 2018

The Future of Blockchain Is in Our Hands, America Institute for Economic Research, 24 May 2018

Blockchain for a Better World, Transitions Film Festival, Melbourne, 5 March 2018

Big interest in blockchain technology at Swiss event Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry Japan (SCCIJ), 22 December 2017

Traveling the World to See What Societies Make of Disruptive Technologies, Swissinfo, 29 November 2017

The Fascination Of Bitcoin And Blockchain Technology, Interview with Manuel Stagars, 7 October 2017

Interview with Manuel Stagars, Filmmaker of The Blockchain and Us, CFA Magazine, 11 June 2017

New Documentary Starts Conversation About Blockchain Technology, Greater Zurich Area, 8 June 2017

Wir und die Blockchain: Gedanken über eine dezentrale Zukunft, PC Welt, 2 May 2017

The Blockchain and Us, el documental sobre el invento que facilita el «dinero sin bancos», Economia Digital, 21 April 2017

Wir und die Blockchain: Knackige & sehenswerte Dokumentation, Coinspondent, 22 April 2017

Documentary Presents Accessible Intro to Impact of Blockchain Tech, Bitcoin Magazine, 21 April 2017

Beyond Blockchain: The Social and Economic Impacts of Distributed Ledger Technology, BIG Fintech Media, 21 April 2017

“The Blockchain and Us” A New Documentary on Bitcoin Tech Changing the World, Bitcoinist, 13 April 2017

“The Blockchain and Us”, The Documentary, Zerohedge, 10 April 2017

“The Blockchain and Us” Among the Best Bitcoin Documentaries, Reasons to Bitcoin, 7 April 2017

Film: “The Blockchain and Us”, Bitcoin News Switzerland, 6 April 2017

“The Blockchain and Us” Released, Blockchain News, 5 April 2017

Solving an Unsolvable Problem, Swiss Finance Startups Blog, 5 April 2017

Premiere “The Blockchain and Us”, ISO-20022.ch, 4 April 2017

Die besten Startups kommen aus der Garage, Handelszeitung, 3 April 2017

Was über die Blockchain gesagt werden muss, ISO-20022.ch, 27 March 2017

Bitcoin News Switzerland, 24 February 2017

Dolfi Müller ist ein Pionier, Zuger Zeitung, 14 January 2017

Im Globalen Dorf Zug wird gross gedacht, Zuger Zeitung, 15 January 2017

What’s next? The Blockchain and Us podcast.

The podcast continues where the film left off with interviews with pioneers and innovators about the present and future of blockchain technology, cryptoassets, and the token economy. It is now available on www.theblockchainandus.com, iTunes, Sticher, Mixcloud, and all major podcast apps and platforms.

 

One to keep and ear on

I’ve been following Stagars for a while now. He gets to know and interviews those all around the world who are at the forefront of future tech. His focus is largely on blockchain and also the advent of tech-promoted groundbreaking shifts in perception, culture, markets, and well, sometimes it seems everything. This is a podcast to pay attention to if you’re interested in tech and/or the future.

– Mr Mackerel, iTunes

The Blockchain and Us podcast

 

 

The right stuff

This is a deep plunge into the blockchain. Highly recommended.

– Mars or Bust, iTunes

Recent Podcast Episodes

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