· 2023 · released
Menger. Notes on the Margin
A documentary celebrating Carl Menger's 150-year legacy since the publication of *Principles of Economics*. The film explores both Menger's historical life and contemporary rediscovery of his work, establishing Austrian economics as the intellectual foundation of Bitcoin. Shot across Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and France, it examines how Menger's revolutionary theory of value and marginal utility shaped economic thought and continues to influence libertarian philosophy today.
Cast
The Bitcoin angle
Austrian School of Economics — the foundational intellectual framework underlying Bitcoin's design and philosophy. Carl Menger, founder of the Austrian School, pioneered subjective value theory and critiqued state-managed currency, making him a philosophical ancestor to decentralized money.
Overview
Menger. Notes on the Margin is a Polish documentary that honors the 150th anniversary of Carl Menger’s Principles of Economics (1874), the foundational work that initiated the Austrian School of Economics. Director Tomasz Agencki interweaves two narrative threads: a historical biographical account of Menger’s life, intellectual development, and influence on economic thought, alongside a contemporary story of economists and thinkers rediscovering and applying Menger’s ideas in the 21st century.
Significance for Bitcoin Culture
Carl Menger’s revolutionary theory of subjective value and marginal utility provided the philosophical scaffolding that later Austrian economists — including Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek — would use to critique fiat currency and central banking. Menger’s emphasis on individual choice, spontaneous order, and skepticism of state interference directly parallels Bitcoin’s core principles of decentralized money, individual sovereignty, and peer-to-peer exchange. The film articulates this legacy clearly, positioning Menger as an intellectual ancestor to cryptocurrency and the modern sovereign-money movement.
Production & Release
The film was shot across four countries — Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and France — to trace Menger’s intellectual journey and the geographic centers of Austrian economic thought. It premiered in December 2023 at the Atlantic cinema in Warsaw, followed by its English-language premiere at Bitcoin FilmFest 2024 (Kinoteka, Warsaw) on April 19, 2024. The complete 100-minute film has been released on YouTube under an open-access model, aligning with Menger’s legacy of intellectual freedom.
Key Contributors & Cast
The film features interviews and contributions from:
- Gilles Campagnolo — economic historian and Menger scholar
- Barbara Kolm — economist and Austrian School researcher
- Sandye Gloria — economics educator
- Łukasz Połomski — scholar
- Andreas Kramer — historian
Director & Production
Director: Tomasz Agencki (Polish filmmaker)
Production: Mises Institute (Poland)
Contact: podcast.agent@gmail.com
Agencki’s directorial approach combines archival historical materials with contemporary documentary footage, creating a bridge between Menger’s 19th-century life and the 21st-century relevance of his ideas. In a May 2025 interview with economics educator Erwin Dekker, Agencki discussed the film’s narrative structure and its role in preserving and promoting Menger’s intellectual legacy globally.
Last verified: May 2025 · Full film status: Active and free on YouTube
Sources
