Bitcoin and New Ukrainian cinema

[Flodner]

On the photo - Successful crypto-investor from "Just Sex, Nothing Personal" movie



Many people in Ukraine who have no connection to blockchain and cryptocurrency area, are aware about Bitcoin. One time I was returning from crypto-conference abroad and when taxi driver asked me where I've been, it happened he is also Bitcoin enthusiast and a trader. I also know a barman-trader, who is working full time in a bar and trades in a free time (and even had some kind of a fund). So no wonder that topic of Bitcoin entered many areas of life, especially art and creative industries, and in this short article I will focus on cinema.

Ukrainian cinema nowadays has its Revival. Many films are created, from different genres and for different audiences, and now we see that Ukrainian movies are more viewed in cinemas, while in past cinema-market was dominated by Hollywood blockbusters and Russian shitmovies. Some films win prizes at international festivals.

While the quantity of films is still much smaller than in other countries, I know at least 3 films which mention Bitcoin topic.



Just Sex, Nothing Personal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTBM7T0cpZI

Genre: Comedy
Release date: December 20, 2018
Director: Olga Ryashina
Production company: Star Media


In the beginning of the film, girlfriend leaves Serhii, the main hero of the film, saying that he is "just an accountant". - "But I also deal with crypto" - he responds, but this doesn't affect her decision as she claims that he is complete 0 in sex.

Serhii goes to Prague for New Year to visit his friend, and meats a strip-dancer in a club, then falls in love with her. His ex-girlfriend was humiliating him in past, but as the time passes, somebody asked her if she saw the price of Bitcoin. She checks the price and understands how rich is her ex-boyfriend now, so she decided to return him and marry.

Even though Bitcoin is small episode in this film, it's not even depicted in trailer, but it really shapes the whole story.

Taking to account date of release, it could be real story a year before in 2017.

We don't know if Serhii made millions or just some smaller amount, but it's enough to implement into life dream of his new girlfried ex-strip-dancer, to start a restaurant-cafe in her home city Lviv in Ukraine.




Foxter & Max
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhRmC8hHdGk

Genre: Comedy for children
Initial release: September 19, 2019
Director: Anatoli Mateshko

Timid 12-year-old schoolboy Max finds a can of nano-paint, and draws graffiti - dog. Unexpectedly drawn graffiti comes to life and turns into a nanorobot with super powers - a combination of biotech and AI. This nano-dog Foxter helps Max in life, but both of them are hunted by a dangerous criminal who wants to take possession of this powerful technology in order to mine cryptocurrency and hack, withdraw cryptocurrencies from others' accounts to his. Well, as usually in comedies - there is happy end.



Nightmare Director, or School # 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFqfX3Wivn4

Genre: Comedy
Release date: October 31, 2018 (Ukraine)
Director: Mila Pogrebiska



The story is about ex-prison manager who in order to return to his previous job has a challenge to be director at problematic school. Unlike first 2 films I didn't watch it, as it was in cinemas not for a long time.

But Bitcoin topic is mentioned in trailer.
At 00:55 you can see the criminal who is asking:
-- What is Bitcoin, do you know?
-- Yes, composer

So this short dialogue references to the popular joke (hard to say does this joke has more truth or joke in it) when people mix Bitcoin with Beethoven, music composer.  (Well of course now in certain communities people know what is Bitcoin, but don't know who is Ludwig van Beethoven)
Then (at 00:59) criminal asks "Did you mine a lot already" and we see a torture scene.



All 3 films are very recent - this year and previous, and of course there might be other films which I'm not aware about. Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies will be depicted more and more in the mass culture. And this is just one more small proof of it.

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[Carlton Banks]

That's curious, there's probably more movies with Bitcoin references in Ukraine than exist in any other country's local film scene. 

it seems like Ukraine caught the Bitcoin trend kinda strong, which seems weird for an eastern european country with a reputation for being more about farming and factories than high tech (is this unfair? I have no direct experience of Ukraine and it's business culture). I can see why Bitcoin would be well represented in Ukrainian indy cinema, but not why Bitcoin became abuzz in the Ukraine in the first place.

[Flodner]

That's curious, there's probably more movies with Bitcoin references in Ukraine than exist in any other country's local film scene. 

Yes, may be it is) That's why I decided to write this article)

it seems like Ukraine caught the Bitcoin trend kinda strong, which seems weird for an eastern european country with a reputation for being more about farming and factories than high tech (is this unfair? I have no direct experience of Ukraine and it's business culture). I can see why Bitcoin would be well represented in Ukrainian indy cinema, but not why Bitcoin became abuzz in the Ukraine in the first place.

Ukraine has many agricultural lands, but it also has big IT sector in general and blockchain industry in particular.
We have big crypto-community, starting from big projects to just individual developers, traders, crypto-enthusiasts.

Also I remember old citibank research that Ukraine is among top countries which has big % of BTC in economy

I think I found image from that research

[avikz]

That's interesting! I just tried to see wikipedia to know about the legality of cryptos in Ukraine and surprisingly, it is blank! The name of the country is in the list of nations but the description is just blank unlike any other countries. See the screenshot below,



The if bitcoin is being referenced in movies, I am sure the scenario is quite positive in Ukraine and common people are well aware of it! I wish it remains positive without any disruption!

[Kakmakr]

It is refreshing to see movies with positive reference to Bitcoin and not the cleché, "Bitcoin is for criminals" or "Bitcoin is for the DarkNet" narrative that are pushed in mainstream movies and series.

We need a uprising of several movies with a positive narrative, where Bitcoin changed people's lives in a positive way. We also need a lot more Bitcoin based documentaries with a positive vibe.  

Thank you for posting this, I eat ..sleep and #%^ Bitcoin lately.  

[stompix]

That's curious, there's probably more movies with Bitcoin references in Ukraine than exist in any other country's local film scene.  

If you think so, then you're going to be amazed by something:
https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=bitcoin
And this is about episodes or movies focused not with references only on bitcoin not on crypto.
If we start counting all the Family Guy, Bob's Burger or Rick's scenes with bitcoins.

Ukraine has many agricultural lands, but it also has big IT sector in general and blockchain industry in particular.

Bro, that's the informal economy, it has nothing to do with IT or information, having 50% of your economy in the shadow is nothing to brag about, take a look at what countries are there besides yours.

[hatshepsut93]

That's curious, there's probably more movies with Bitcoin references in Ukraine than exist in any other country's local film scene. 

it seems like Ukraine caught the Bitcoin trend kinda strong, which seems weird for an eastern european country with a reputation for being more about farming and factories than high tech (is this unfair? I have no direct experience of Ukraine and it's business culture). I can see why Bitcoin would be well represented in Ukrainian indy cinema, but not why Bitcoin became abuzz in the Ukraine in the first place.

Bitcoin became quite popular in 2017, when even national television was reporting some of its price movements, and it actually makes sense, since Ukraine's population is poor but is also relatively well educated, so for younger generations it was easy to pick up Bitcoin. Ukraine's currency was also losing value because of the war and government's mismanagement during that time, so this is another reason to try Bitcoin.

And even to this day the top news sites occasionally report about Bitcoin and crypto, which they wouldn't do if it wasn't generating clicks. There's still not much merchant adoption, but there's a lot of hodlers.

[milani]

Wow))) i saw some trailers, but did not watched these films. Did not even imagine that they may be really interesting. But what about the second one about dog robot I even did not see the trailer and even did not see that something like that exists. I was impressed that these films are really made in Ukraine. And yeah, the Bitcoin and crypto currency really becomes more and more popular, it is like a trend now, that everyone uses in order to attract more attention of consumers.

[Flodner]

Bitcoin became quite popular in 2017, when even national television was reporting some of its price movements, and it actually makes sense, since Ukraine's population is poor but is also relatively well educated, so for younger generations it was easy to pick up Bitcoin. Ukraine's currency was also losing value because of the war and government's mismanagement during that time, so this is another reason to try Bitcoin.

And even to this day the top news sites occasionally report about Bitcoin and crypto, which they wouldn't do if it wasn't generating clicks. There's still not much merchant adoption, but there's a lot of hodlers.

Yes, 2017 was the year of biggest popularity (probably all around the world)

And I would say the merchant adoption is ok, the technology is ready, it's just people are not using crytocurrencies so often. Even people from the industry tend to use cards or cash.
I had crypto bar in center of Kyiv, and guess how many payments were done in crypto in 4 months?
0 (I'm not counting payments with our EOS-based token, which was distributed as loyalty program, it was in use often)

[Twentyonepaylots]

That's curious, there's probably more movies with Bitcoin references in Ukraine than exist in any other country's local film scene.  

it seems like Ukraine caught the Bitcoin trend kinda strong, which seems weird for an eastern european country with a reputation for being more about farming and factories than high tech (is this unfair? I have no direct experience of Ukraine and it's business culture). I can see why Bitcoin would be well represented in Ukrainian indy cinema, but not why Bitcoin became abuzz in the Ukraine in the first place.

Bitcoin became quite popular in 2017, when even national television was reporting some of its price movements, and it actually makes sense, since Ukraine's population is poor but is also relatively well educated, so for younger generations it was easy to pick up Bitcoin. Ukraine's currency was also losing value because of the war and government's mismanagement during that time, so this is another reason to try Bitcoin.

It all started when bitcoin reached its all time high price, it was like people are always asking what bitcoin is, where do i get it and how much is bitcoin, I even watched news that warned people from getting it cause it is too volatile to handle and in a matter of an hour it could  go from 100 to 0. Bitcoin gone wild and reached the televisions and even approaches the young minds and become curious about it.

And even to this day the top news sites occasionally report about Bitcoin and crypto, which they wouldn't do if it wasn't generating clicks. There's still not much merchant adoption, but there's a lot of hodlers.

Once it reached the main stream media, it will always be on eyes of main stream media. Now, everyday, there is always a news about bitcoin or something related to it, like what I've watched on news a week ago that microsoft starts to have a bitcoin payment option. Merchant adoption lately is insanely great, I am amazed how far did we go from what we imagine 5-7 years ago.

[CryptoBry]

When something is referenced in the world of showbiz or entertainment, then it is actually being helped with its promotion that can lead to more use and acceptance. Bitcoin really lacks advertising since we don't have a centralized organization with multi-million advertising budget to be burned. I hear many developments around cryptocurrency in Ukraine, and I am sure that in the next few years this country can be one of the top countries with more Bitcoin holders compared to the rest of the world. And I also heard that the government is not averse to Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, something all Ukrainians should be thanking for. Let's hope that in the years to come, more movie mention on Bitcoin in a positive way will materialized.

[shark1006]

To interest the public, the script of the film must comply with the current realities of life. It's great that directors use the Bitcoin theme in their films, which is a popularization that is necessary. I am glad that Ukrainian creators understand this, everyone should do the same

[nienzer]

I see that it has become a common practice to mention Bitcoin in films, theater performances and etc. This means that Bitcoin is globalizing, which is great for its developing and accepting.

[bounceback]

I see that it has become a common practice to mention Bitcoin in films, theater performances and etc. This means that Bitcoin is globalizing, which is great for its developing and accepting.

indeed now there are already in several films that play bitcoin as the main payment flow and of course this is very helpful in promoting bitcoin so it is in great demand by many people and making them adopt bitcoin, but unfortunately now some of their bitcoin adopters are strictly prohibited by governments in countries- certain countries to adopt bitcoin, like China whose president hates bitcoin a lot.

[Flodner]

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=bitcoin

Yes, good list. But have you seen some of the movies there? May be you can recommend some?

Bro, that's the informal economy, it has nothing to do with IT or information, having 50% of your economy in the shadow is nothing to brag about, take a look at what countries are there besides yours.

For long time big part of economy was in shadow, so I think bitcoin doesn't affect this, as much more shadow cash dollars circulate.
Well, there are other stats which indicate level of IT rise and this is something which I can see myself, as the number of people who work in IT increase.
For example there was Upwork research that Ukraine is #4 by the number of freelancers (after US, India, Philippines) and this of course counts only freelancers and agencies who are registered on this site

[int03h]

A country run primarily by service and industry in their economic structure. Agriculture only accounts for 9.9%.
According to my previous research, Ukraine banned bitcoin and did not allow the circulation of Bitcoin.
Only a short time ago, Law No. 140-IX (https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/140-ix) came into effect after the revision of the Ukrainian Constitution forced all citizens of the country to disclose the electronic money they own. Not only that, they must also provide the quantity information their relative owns.
But after a while their people were banned from trading or exchanging Bitcoin, their awareness was certainly limited to Bitcoin.
It's possible that the aforementioned films only cleverly match Bitcoin awareness to their people. If these films were to be exported to other countries, it would mean a lot more.

[aardvark15]

Bitcoin is subtly making its way into the mainstream whether it’s in movies as you describe, in Wall Street investment portfolios, or on the news.  This is good for the stability of Bitcoin.

[stompix]

Only a short time ago, Law No. 140-IX (https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/140-ix) came into effect after the revision of the Ukrainian Constitution forced all citizens of the country to disclose the electronic money they own. Not only that, they must also provide the quantity information their relative owns.

Can somebody point to the article number that does so?
I tried with google translate but is making a mess and it seems half of the document is about changes in the old laws by replacing x with y.
And searching for bitcoin and crypto isn't getting any results. Also, I have very limited knowledge of Cyrillic letters so....

For long time big part of economy was in shadow, so I think bitcoin doesn't affect this, as much more shadow cash dollars circulate.
Well, there are other stats which indicate level of IT rise and this is something which I can see myself, as the number of people who work in IT increase.
For example there was Upwork research that Ukraine is #4 by the number of freelancers (after US, India, Philippines) and this of course counts only freelancers and agencies who are registered on this site

I have a bit of pessimistic views about the future of IT jobs in the Eastern part of Europe.
There is a huge demand for people working in it, (we lack about 200k jobs)  but only the ones requiring below or average knowledge and experience are filled at a decent rate.
Almost all who get really good at what they are dong are fleeing to the western countries where they are paid three or four times more, for example, one of my school buddies had a wage of around ~ 5kE here, he moved to Sweden where he is paid 13K, forget nationalism, it means one brand new E klass a year on top of what he was earning here.

In your case, the lack of mobility and the visa requirement for the EU might stop the emigration and help your sector but for the rest of us is a losing battle.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Nightmare Director, or School # 5

LOL, I didn't understand anything except "bitcoin" in that entire trailer, but even though the mention was made by what looked to be criminals in a dark room, it was still pretty cool.  Awesome summary of bitcoin in cinema here, OP.  I always thought crypto was popular in Ukraine and Russia and eastern Europe, more than it gets credit for anyway.  And if it's being mentioned in movies, it must be going mainstream at least somewhat.

Those movies don't seem to be the kind I usually like, nor would I be able to understand them even if I had a way to watch them, but at least the trailers were cool--and they feature bitcoin.  I don't know if there's any American films that can claim that except for documentaries and those aren't the same as having bitcoin as a plot point for a drama or comedy.

Bitcoin is subtly making its way into the mainstream whether it’s in movies as you describe, in Wall Street investment portfolios, or on the news.

It definitely is.  I met another person yesterday who knew what bitcoin was, though the extent of her knowledge about it I didn't find out.  If you look at financial news coverage in the US, you'd certainly see that bitcoin gets a lot of coverage and many people know about it at least.

[kryptqnick]

Thanks for raising this topic! Cryptos are indeed pretty popular and Ukraine, and since our films are still rather terrible, so I don't watch them (just look at the trailers and you can see objectivation of females, homophobia, stereotypes and dumb jokes). it was interesting for me to hear that they mention cryptos!

That's interesting! I just tried to see wikipedia to know about the legality of cryptos in Ukraine and surprisingly, it is blank! The name of the country is in the list of nations but the description is just blank unlike any other countries.

Like someone already mentioned, it was not always blank, I remember it saying that cryptos are legal. It's not true, though. Here cryptos are neither legal nor illegal, but our country is welcoming new technologies (Blockchain has been mentioned by the authorities as a good thing even), so it's a matter of time till they are legalized. A couple of draft laws about regulation failed, though.

Nightmare Director, or School # 5

LOL, I didn't understand anything except "bitcoin" in that entire trailer, but even though the mention was made by what looked to be criminals in a dark room, it was still pretty cool.  Awesome summary of bitcoin in cinema here, OP.  I always thought crypto was popular in Ukraine and Russia and eastern Europe, more than it gets credit for anyway.  And if it's being mentioned in movies, it must be going mainstream at least somewhat.

I haven't watched this film, but the trailer says that a school gets a new principal, who previously worked in a penal colony. And then there's this school, the cool guys of this school, teachers approving of the new principal. Moving to the Bitcoin part, the following dialogue is happening between people who look like typical Post-Soviet gangsters:
- Do you know what's Bitcoin?
- Yep, it's a composer.
I think the joke is that Bitcoin and Beethoven sound a bit similar.
So anyway, this film, unfortunately, seems to be among those that reinforce the stereotype that Bitcoin is for criminals.