The long-standing way money is made and produced is broken. The more that gets printed, the less its worth. The price of groceries and gas has skyrocketed, the purchase price of homes is through the roof (literally) and many people can’t seem to work enough jobs or hours to make ends meet. It’s hard to
understand why it’s happening and how to fix it. That was Brian and Kelly Estes’ motivation to write, direct and produce the film God Bless Bitcoin. Brian has been an avid student and educator in the bitcoin world for over a decade, and Kelly has 15 years of teaching under her belt. Kelly taught in the communities that our current money system is hurting the most and became interested in bitcoin when she saw that it can give everyone the freedom to create savings for themselves and future generations. With a mission to explain how the world’s financial system works, to show how it discriminates against the middle class and those who live in poverty, and to show how bitcoin is a more ethical form of money that is open to everyone no matter their socioeconomic status, their race or their gender, the couple teamed up to produce God Bless Bitcoin.
Through in-depth conversations with blockchain and interfaith religious leaders, the film exposes the broken, unjust, and immoral nature of our current monetary system. The film also shows how and why members of the poor and middle class feel a financial squeeze even when they work hard and lead fiscally responsible lives. God Bless Bitcoin ultimately suggests the ways in which Bitcoin can present alternatives to our current system that are more just, equitable, and peaceful. We sat down with Brian and Kelly to hear more about their passion project. While the Estes’ confirmed it will likely be the one and only movie they will ever make, it’s on a path to educate and help people change their lives and financial security.
Splash: How did you dream up the concept for this film?
Brian: About four years ago I read a book called “Thank God for Bitcoin,” which is the Christian view of morals, ethics and religions and how it intersects with Bitcoin. It got me wondering how all the other religions view money. As I researched and learned, I had a voice that kept getting louder and louder telling me to do a movie. But I don’t know how to tell a great story, so Kelly stepped in to help me.
Kelly: Since working with students at the poverty level, I can see that the people most hurt by our current financial system are the wage earners, and Bitcoin can help them find a way out of financial ruin. This movie was created to show people how.
Splash: Does the film help people who don’t understand what Bitcoin is and how it works, along with the religious aspects?
Kelly: That was tricky and key in my helping Brian tell this story. We wanted to make it digestible, easy to understand and less scary than people think it is. We created fun animations in the film that go along with explanations to help simplify it and weave it into the greater story. We start with what the problem is, what a possible solution is (Bitcoin) and how it works, and how it can solve the problem.
Brian: We wanted to entertain and teach at the same time. The film is a little reminiscent of School House Rock – without the songs!
Splash: What makes Bitcoin a more ethical form of money?
Kelly: What we realized is that what has formed morals and ethics in modern society are the sacred scriptures (Bible, Torah, Quran, Buddhist teachings). They all have similar teachings and morals, so we started with what morals dictate money.
Brian: To learn about this we talked to Protestants, Catholic Priests, the Bitcoin Rabbi, and many more religous leaders. It was a common thread among these leaders that morals should guide our use of money.
Splash: You must have a strong faith since this topics was of interest to you. How did that impact your film and your research?
Kelly: We are both Christian. I was raised with the value “to whom much is given, much is expected.” While money was tight when I was growing up, we were taught to always serve others. Brian and I both felt a need to help people, and this film allows us to give people something to think about and educate themselves and hopefully pull themselves up.
Brian: We have had success with our past businesses, and this is a chance for us to give back to society. We didn’t do all the work, we rounded up the Bitcoin troops to help, and they all came out to help.
Splash: You’ve never made a film, or done anything in entertainment, so how did this film even come to be?
Brian: I randomly was contacted by a filmmaker who wanted to interview me and my Bitcoin network for another project. It felt like the right time to share what I dreamed of doing, and I offered to connect him to my community if he would help with my project, and he agreed. He is an Emmy nominated filmmaker, who was super patient and helped us every step of the way. Over the last 2 years we interviewed 60 people all over the world. And now God Bless Bitcoin is available to everyone, and is free for viewers to watch.
Splash: Brian, you said you had this calling to do this project, and then someone came knocking. It sounds like fate.
Kelly: We believe God puts someone in your path when the time is right.
Splash: Did you have an interview that really stood out to you during the making of the film?
Kelly: Human connection stands out to me most and did so as we made this movie. Our narrator, Natalie Brunell is a millennial, and I am a Gen Xer. Millennials have gotten a bad rep, but I never realized how scared most of them are, since they are the first generation of Americans who may not be better off than the previous generation, especially financially. During conversations with Natalie, she opened my eyes to this, and I learned empathy for her and her generation. It hit hard and showed the humanity of the bigger issues at hand.
Brian: We ended up making that a major part of the movie. We talk about how financial stress has caused people to not get married or have children,in invest in homes. We hope Bitcoin can help people fulfill those dreams, and the core beliefs of our biblical teachings. The movie is really about this common thread among people.
Splash: What’s one easy recommendation you have for someone wanting to explore Bitcoin and learn more, of course outside of watching God Bless Bitcoin?
Brian: I recommend going to www.hope.com to see all sorts of educational resources regarding Bitcoin.
God Bless Bitcoin debuted at the Bitcoin Conference in July 2024. It’s available for anyone to watch and download, for free, at GodBlessBitcoin.com.
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