The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin

What is Bitcoin? Privately launched in 2009, this virtual currency has also been called ‘digital gold’. Bitcoin has experienced a boom in recent years, and is now accepted as a means of payment by many traders worldwide. But is Bitcoin really the money of the future – or just a flash in the pan? Director Nicholas Mross follows his brother Dan, a busy family man, programmer and Bitcoin aficionado, on a journey through the world of this new digital currency. He highlights every facet of this Internet phenomenon: In addition to many Bitcoin entrepreneurs having their say, Mross also focuses on the legal aspects, as well as the social and political dimensions, of this ‘open source’ cryptocurrency. Not surprisingly, this filmic analysis was financed with cash raised via crowdfunding and payments made with PayPal and Bitcoin. (Zurich Film Festival)