Our History Begins in 2023

Bitcoin FilmFest began its main festival story in Warsaw in March 2023.

On 24 and 25 March, the first main edition took place at Kinoteka in Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science. Eight screenings formed the film programme, attended by approximately 120 viewers. The wider Weekend Kapitalizmu context brought the combined audience to roughly 300 people, but that figure was not the attendance of BFF23 alone. In its own contemporaneous communication, BFF described the event as the world’s first Bitcoin film festival. That phrase belongs to the festival’s historical language. The more lasting point is simpler: filmmakers, Bitcoiners and audiences gathered around a programme built for cinema, discussion and education.

One of the defining moments was the world premiere of The Bitcoin Farmer. The programme also brought film and conversation together. The Great Reset and the Rise of Bitcoin was followed by a mining-film panel. Human B was followed by a filmmaker panel. The final programme included a discussion around The Satoshi Mystery.

Open Bitcoin Workshops were also part of the BFF23 experience. They gave the festival another layer beyond screenings, with practical space for people to meet, learn and continue the conversation outside the cinema room.

The first edition closed with the Golden Rabbit awards. The Satoshi Mystery received Best Movie, while HUMAN B received Audience Choice.

A month later, Bitcoin FilmFest travelled to Lisbon for a smaller activation during LibertyCon Europe, organised by Students For Liberty. BFF Mini Lisboa took place on 22 and 23 April 2023. It was announced as a compact programme of short films, talks and discussions.

The Warsaw edition was connected to the Weekend Kapitalizmu period, while the Lisbon Mini happened within LibertyCon Europe. These early events set the direction for Bitcoin FilmFest: cinema as a place to explore Bitcoin culture, stories and ideas together.