LUKE WILLMS

Mbuntu Media

In his directorial debut, Luke Willms presents UNBANKABLE, a culmination of seven years of dedication and passion across seven countries. Throughout the arduous journey, he remains deeply humbled by the process and the extended production timeline, crediting the project’s completion to what he aptly terms ‘divine timing’—a convergence where the narrative’s significance resonates profoundly on a global scale. In 2019, Willms founded MBUNTU MEDIA, a production company specializing in factual content, with a core focus on community, preservation, and adventure travel programming.

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The long road to UNBANKABLE taught me to trust in divine timing—when the world’s ready, the story finds its moment.

— Luke Willms—

🎙️ BFF: What motivated you to make this film, to explore African economic innovations and personal stories with such depth?

💬 Luke: The journey with UNBANKABLE started with a practical goal: creating short films to highlight the power of microfinance, especially among women-led groups, to secure donor support. But being on the ground, camera in hand, shifted everything. I was struck by the trust-based systems thriving in these communities, far from the tech-obsessed world I knew. The seven-year timeline, fraught with funding hurdles and a global pandemic, felt like a gift in disguise. It gave me space to reflect amid global upheaval, turning the film into a quest for deeper truths about resilience and financial inclusion.

🎙️ BFF:Growing up with both African and Western influences, how did that shape your storytelling in the film? Were there any moments where your perspective suddenly shifted?

💬 Luke: My dual heritage gave me a natural curiosity about bridging worlds. Initially, hyped in places like Silicon Valley and Kenya’s ‘Silicon Savannah’, I thought that fintech was the answer to scaling microfinance. Filming changed that. I saw that true progress lies in collaborating with local systems, like savings groups or even Bitcoin experiments, that prioritize trust over tech. A startup like Fedi, which embraces this, stood out. Almost naturally, the core question flipped from “How can Africa adopt Western tools?” to “Can Africa save the West?”— a shift that redefined the story.

🎙️ BFF: UNBANKABLEhighlights the resilience and collaboration within African communities. Do you see parallels—or contrasts—with the ethos of Bitcoiners, or what some call ‘freedom fighters at heart’?

💬 Luke: Yes, there’s a striking parallel. Both embody decentralization and financial sovereignty. African communities through trust-based systems like savings groups, Bitcoiners through technology. But these communities live this ethos out of necessity, not choice, navigating currency devaluation, political instability, and systemic exclusion. Their resilience, built without tech, mirrors the Bitcoiners’ drive for freedom, though their starting points differ profoundly.

🎙️ BFF: How do you hope the Bitcoin FilmFest 2025 audience and fellow filmmakers will engage with the film’s message? What conversations do you aim to spark?

💬 Luke: Here’s the thing, Bitcoin’s often seen as a tool for liberation in a lot of communities. But that idea usually comes from a privileged place—where opting out of centralized systems is a choice, not a necessity. In much of the world, including the regions we filmed in, the question isn’t whether decentralization is desirable, but whether it’s accessible, culturally resonant, and materially beneficial.

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I hope the film sparks conversations around how these technologies and ideologies can be translated, adapted, and reimagined through lenses that aren’t Western by default, while reintroducing more traditional development models that have largely been lost, like microfinance, where lending and credit systems are a focus.

— Luke Willms—

💬 Luke: I’m honoured to bring UNBANKABLE to the Bitcoin Film Festival, and deeply grateful to the selection committee for choosing a film that doesn’t center on Bitcoin. That choice sends a powerful message: bold, unconventional stories have a home here. As a filmmaker, the BFF team makes you feel like you belong—they champion independent voices with conviction, and their passion for overlooked stories is unmistakable.

🎙️ BFF: What’s next for you as a filmmaker? Are there other untold stories you’re eager to explore?

💬 Luke: Right now, my team is diving into a story in the Amazon and developing lifestyle-adventure-travel series. UNBANKABLE covers a lot in 70 minutes, and as it circulates, I’m letting it reveal the gaps that will shape my next film. The Global South is full of stories—resilient, human-centered, and often overlooked—that I’m eager to amplify with the same depth and care.

🎙️ BFF: Sounds good. Fingers crossed! Last question, is there a special message you’d like to share with our readers? Anything about your work or the broader call for economic and cultural rethinking?

💬 Luke: To aspiring filmmakers: trust the timing of your story. The delays, the obstacles. They’re often the universe giving your work the space to grow into something bigger. And to everyone: let’s look to the margins, communities thriving against the odds—for the wisdom we need to rethink our systems. That’s where the real answers lie.

🎙️ BFF: Wise words, Luke! Thanks for the great conversation and your dedication from the start. Wishing you all the success, and we hope to see you in person at Bitcoin FilmFest 2025.

💬 Luke: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure. Best of luck with the festival, and I hope I can make it to this edition. I’m eager for audiences to experience the film and hope it ignites meaningful conversations.

Be sure to watch its powerful trailer if you haven’t yet.
Follow Luke and his latest projects on X and LinkedIn.

Curious about other titles of this edition? Visit the BFF’25 archive for the feature lineup and festival context.

The real magic happens in Warsaw (May 22–25)!

Join us to watch these stories on the big screen, take part in live Q&As, meet kindred spirits to share ideas and experiences. The BFF’25 archive holds the festival context.

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