THE BITCOIN EXECUTOR

SYNOPSIS

The Bitcoin Executor is an arthouse neo noir about an economics professor named Ken who becomes the executor of a will for Dr. Dean Sinautra, a friend and colleague who has mysteriously disappeared. Although philosophically opposed, Ken takes on the task of personally delivering a set of Bitcoin hardware wallets to Dean’s chosen heirs. In the process Ken attempts to find clues that could solve the mystery of Dean’s disappearance. The discoveries made along the way force him to question the things he thought he knew so well.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

You would be hard pressed to find a working class person to argue against the existance of a broken financial system that strongly affects their mental stability. With each passing tick of the debt clock, it becomes more difficult for people to survive without falling into debt slavery to this system. The majority work under constant pressure to satisfy their creditors, often under the acceptance that they’ll remain in the red for a majority of their life. It’s important to consider how this sort of captivity affects mentality, happiness and drive. And in doing so, it’s also important not to disregard the proposals of alternatives and how they can provide healthy perspective. One of these alternatives is Bitcoin, a fascinating yet polarizing technology supported by an emerging, subversive subculture. I’m not referring to the oversimplified “crypto bro” stereotype as portrayed by the media, but specifically Bitcoiners who are ideologically driven to support sound money.

The Bitcoin Executor pulls audiences into this subculture through a story about an economics professor attempting to solve the mystery of his missing friend. Our protagonist is a traditional economist who believes in central banking and only enters the Bitcoin subculture in order to complete his mission. In doing so he faces direct challenges to his identity and beliefs as well as his accepted fate. The resulting situations and conversations are novel, relevant and thought-provoking. They’ve been consciously crafted to stay true to the motivations and beliefs of the characters without an agenda to impose onto the audience. Simply put, The Bitcoin Executor is an observation of how emotions and identity are affected by varying perspectives surrounding money. In the process of addressing this subject, I along with my collaborators have consistently aimed to create a truthful piece of art. This has resulted in a film that isn’t really about Bitcoin, but the journey of a man learning to let go in order to discover who he really is.

Christopher Arcella

NEWS

The film is completed but not yet released. Check back here and follow our socials to find out when the film will be available.

STILLS

POSTERS

PRESS

PRESS KIT

Download The Bitcoin Executor press kit here

PRESS COVERAGE

Coin Telegraph: Bitcoin inheritances: A guide for heirs and the not-yet-dead

The Café Bitcoin Podcast (beginning around the 1 hour mark): The Bitcoin Executor, Bitcoin Art & Film!

BIOGRAPHIES

CHRISTOPHER ARCELLA (producer/co-writer/director/cinematographer/editor)

Christopher is an American designer and independent filmmaker. His extensive experience in both fields grants him the freedom to experiment. Originally from Pittsburgh, Christopher graduated from the Virginia Tech College of Architecture where he worked as an assistant to the director of the Virginia Tech Multimedia Lab. Following graduation he gained experience as a designer at IDEO and Blu Dot before running his own design studio. During this time Christopher developed his filmmaking skills by making many experimental films and working part time at the office of independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. Over the years he has consistently maintained this balance between filmmaker and designer resulting in a versatile creative process. His movies have screened in numerous festivals and other various curated media as well as on television stations worldwide. Screenings include The Film Society of Lincoln Center, San Francisco International Film Festival (Golden Gate Award Winner), Indie Lisboa (Onda Curta Award Winner), MTV and Canal+.

DANIEL MROSS (executive producer/co-writer)

Daniel was a producer and star of the extremely popular documentary feature film The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and has gone on to become one of the most watched Bitcoin films ever made.

AMARI CHEATOM (lead: Ken Naysie)

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Amari is a graduate of The Juilliard School. His film and television projects include: Newlyweeds (Sundance Film Festival), Night Catches Us (Sundance Film Festival, New Directors/New Films), Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story, Relaxer (SXSW Film Festival), The Alchemist’s Cookbook (SXSW Film Festival), Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Dan Gilroy’s Roman J. Israel, Esq.

PLAID (composer)

Plaid, otherwise known as Andy Turner and Ed Handley, are a London-based electronic music duo. Plaid are seasoned film composers who have created original scores for a variety of film and television projects. They’ve also released a number of full length albums and one soundtrack through the renown music label Warp Records.

HALLY SMITH (Jean Christana)

Hally Smith is an American actress, singer, and filmmaker. Born and raised an hour west of New York City in Roxbury, New Jersey, Hally grew up with a professional Irish Tenor for a father and developed a love for music and performance at an early age. She attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied both musical theatre and film acting, and also developed a skill and passion for writing and producing. Since graduating, Hally splits her time between Los Angeles and NYC, acting in film, TV, theatre, and voiceover projects, as well as creating and acting in her own works.

MIKE RUDKO (Dr. Dean Sinautra)

Mike Rudko is a New York City based actor who is an alumnus and professor with the Juilliard school of drama. Having been a seasoned stage actor, the Bitcoin Executor is Mike’s big screen debut. His past performances include Broadway: Mary Stuart, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, Timon of Athens, Serious Money. Off-Broadway: King Lear, Serious Money, American Repertory Theater: Hedda Gabler, Hamlet, The Seagull (1991-92 Season). The Public Theater; Titus Andronicus, As You Like It, Henry V, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Theatre for a New Audience. Regional: Tartuffe, McCarter/Yale Repertory Theatre; iWitness, Mark Taper Forum; The Taming of the Shrew, The Woman in Black, The Investigation, Baltimore Centerstage; Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Lorenzaccio, The Shakespeare Theatre; The Faith Healer, Old Globe; Night and Day, Wilma Theater; Proof, Arena Stage. Germany: We Are Not These Hands, Dusseldorfer Schauspielhaus. London: True West, Donmar Warehouse; Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s Globe.

GRAHAM WARDLE (Monk)

Graham Wardle was born on September 6th, 1986 in Mission, British Columbia. He was raised in New Westminister, near Vancouver with his five siblings. At the age of twelve, Graham landed his first TV role in The Sentinal. He later went on to appear in TV shows such as, The Outer Limits (2001), Life as we Know it (2004), and Supernatural (2005). While his career progressed, Graham honed his acting skills studying at the Motion Picture and Production Program at Capilano University in Vancouver. He graduated from the University in 2007. In the same year, Graham starred in “In the Land of Women.” Also, in 2007 he was selected to play a lead role of “Ty Bordon” in Heartland. The TV series has produced a film, “A Heartland Christmas” (2010) where Graham played his role as Ty Borden. Heartland celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2016. In between his role in Heartland he also landed a handful of roles in other movies. They include ; That One Night (2008), Yesterday (2009), Mon Ami (2012), and the Syfy TV movie Grave Halloween (2013).

JOHNNY RAMEY (Hector)

Johnny Lynn Ramey Jr., born in California to Antoinette and Johnny Sr., trained at The Juilliard School for the Arts in New York City. Johnny has had the privilege of working on several productions as an actor, producer, writer and director. Johnny began his career as a teenage actor. He is best known for Elias Taylor in the popular Netflix produced film RUSTIN, and as the series co-lead of Poz Roz. Johnny has also played roles in several Broadway and major regional productions. In the feature space he co-starred in the theatrical films Maternity, Big Trees, and New Year’s Eve and he has played opposite the stars of Act Your Age.

GEOFFREY JD PAYNE (Victor)

Geoffrey J.D. Payne is an accomplished actor, producer, and director born in Warwick, New York, and raised in Rockport, Massachusetts. He began his training at 16 in upstate New York where he mentored in musical theater for three years before moving to New York City at 19. Soon after his arrival he earned a scholarship to the Weist Barron School for TV and Film. He then studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting where he graduated in 2008. Geoffrey has since appeared in Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions including Choose Your Grown Adventure, This is Our Youth, Books On Tape and Humans Anonymous, all while co-founding The Altruistic Theater Company. His recent film credits include Victor in the feature film The Bitcoin Executor as well as roles in the shorts Desde El Principio (written by Oscar-winner Nicolas Giacobone), The Quiet and Boys & Toys. Currently Geoffrey resides in Los Angeles where he is preparing to play Dylan Prescott in Headway, a feature film in development.

ROWAN LOREN (Girlfriend)

Rowan Loren is an emerging actor known for her grounded presence and subtle emotional depth. She built her foundation in NYC at Anthony Abeson, HB Studio and T. Schreiber as well as with Method training. This blend of classical craft and modern technique has influenced her work on independent films and national commercial campaigns. Passionate about creative expression, design, and nature, Rowan loves to explore the many realms of life and what it means to be human.

RAYMOND LORINI (Max Mulligan)

Raymond Lorini is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama in New York City. Son of Composer Joseph Lorini, Raymond resides in Sacramento, California and works professionally as an actor and musician in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas.

MICHAEL COUGHLAN (Fred)

Michael Coughlan is a Canadian actor known most for his role as the fedora wearing leading man in the short film Nuit Blanche. He’s studied at Toronto’s Equity Showcase Theatre, Centre for the Arts, Medicine Hat College, and Calgary’s Loose Moose Theatre. Selected stage credits include Macbeth, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, The Dreamer Examines His Pillow, and Spring Awakening: A New Musical. Coughlan is also a singer-songwriter and recording artist. His debut album The Sixth Avenue Verses has received critical acclaim from the CBC and roots music publications and blogs around the world.

LEO DEFRIEND (Norman Green)

Leo DeFriend is a hard working British actor living in NYC. His work has been seen by millions, including roles in the feature film Hell House LLC III (AMC/Shudder) and the show Mordeo (Crypt TV). He’s known for delivering grounded, natural performances that have drawn comparisons ranging from an “adorkable” Simon Pegg to an intense and character-driven Gary Oldman or Michael Fassbender.

FABIAN BRANDO ALVAREZ (Anonymous Man)

Fabian Brando Alvarez is a Cuban-American actor who discovered his passion for acting at a very young age. He studied acting at the Adriana Barraza Acting Studio. His career has developed in film, theater, and television, working in plays such as The Glass Menagerie and Las Lloronas, among others. On television, he has been part of the cast in two soap operas and a documentary, and in film, he has participated in movies like Plantados, El Caballo, Plantadas, and Manteniendo la Distancia.

JANEVA ZENTZ (Programmer)

Janeva Adena Calderon Villatoro Zentz, or just Janeva Zentz, is a writer, comedian, producer, and filmmaker. She wears many hats and coincidentally once apprenticed with a hatmaker. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, she grew up in a Guatemalan family with many Latin American influences. Janeva began as a visual artist and with a full tuition scholarship, she graduated from the prestigious School of Art at The Cooper Union in NYC. Having never acted before, Janeva was cast as the lead of the magical realist feature film La Voz de los Silenciados. The award-winning independent feature was an international success and introduced her to the worlds of filmmaking and performance. Since La Voz de los Silenciados was released, Janeva has been honing her voice as a stand-up comedian, a writer, and a character actress, being called a Guatemalan Shelley Duvall.

ANNA CRIVELLI (Harmony)

Anna Crivelli is a San Francisco Bay Area native currently residing in Brooklyn. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Fordham University Lincoln Center. Her Off-Broadway credits include: 53% Of (Second Stage), Doll’s House Part 3 (Exponential Festival), Drink with Death (La Mama) Regional: How to Defend Yourself (Victory Gardens, 43rd Humana Festival), Private Lives (Dorset Theatre Festival), Once Five Years Pass, Dental Society Midwinter Meeting (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Appropriate (Westport Country Playhouse), Blithe Spirit (White Heron Theatre Company), Airness, and Steel Magnolias (Geva Theatre Center). Her Film and Television credits include: Evil (CBS), Bejing Rodeo, Desert Window, and The Falling World.

ISABELLA SANTOS (Maria)

Isabella Santos is the founder of BTC Isla, a grassroots initiative building a Bitcoin circular economy on Isla Mujeres through education, merchant adoption, and community storytelling. She’s also the co-founder of Get Based, a creative media company helping Bitcoin and tech brands tell fearless, high-impact stories through documentaries, tutorials, and viral content. Her work blends real-world experimentation with narrative filmmaking to make Bitcoin tangible, personal, and culture-shifting. Well known for her appearances in various Bitcoin related content, Isabella is venturing into new territory with her narrative feature film debut in The Bitcoin Executor

CREDITS

DIRECTED, PRODUCED, SHOT AND EDITED BY: CHRISTOPHER ARCELLA

WRITTEN BY: CHRISTOPHER ARCELLA AND DANIEL MROSS

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: DANIEL MROSS

AMARI CHEATOM: KEN NAYSIE

RAYMOND LORINI: MAX MULLIGAN

GEOFFREY JD PAYNE: VICTOR

AMBRE SOUBIRAN: ART GALLERY MANAGER

ANNA CRIVELLI: HARMONY

NELSON MINIER: ART COLLECTOR

LAURA STINGER: ART COLLECTOR’S WIFE (VOICE)

LEO DEFRIEND: NORMAN GREEN

MIKE RUDKO: DR. DEAN SINAUTRA

HALLY SMITH: JEAN CHRISTANA

MARK OLSEN: PROFESSOR

JACK SUTHERLAND: SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

ROWAN LOREN: GIRLFRIEND

BREKKIE: BIKE SELLER

PREM LEE BARBOSA: TOXIC BITCOINER

ISABELLA SANTOS: MARIA

STÉPHANIE FRIBOURG: TERISSA MECCI

ZOLTAN JELOVICH: STUDENT

GRAHAM WARDLE: MONK

PAUL KEATING: NEIGHBOR

SEBASTIAN MROSS: MESSENGER

JOHNNY RAMEY: HECTOR

FABIAN BRANDO ALVAREZ: ANONYMOUS MAN

ANCA VALEANU: CLEANING LADY (VOICE)

MICHAEL COUGHLAN: FRED

JANEVA ZENTZ: PROGRAMMER

KAY BENSON: NARRATOR (VOICE)

LUCAS DE ARAUJO GOMES: JIU-JITSU INSTRUCTOR

JON CHENOT: DRIVER

NICOLE ZUELKE: RIVER SINAUTRA

LUKE RATTAY: BARTENDER

ORIGINAL SCORE: PLAID

FOLEY ARTISTS: DEVON ADAMS AND CHRISTOPHER ARCELLA

LEGAL SERVICES: FERNANDO RAMIREZ

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: ZOLTAN JELOVICH AND LUKE RATTAY

NORMANOMICS PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: LAURA SAMPSON HEMINGWAY AND ALAN WEBBER

SOME NORMANOMICS FURNITURE PROVIDED BY: LICHEN

NORMANOMICS LOCATION SCOUT: FIGURE GROUND NYC

LOCATION ASSISTANCE: MOTA/ROKVTM AND MELISSA TAPANES LLAHUES

DEFUND THEIR POWER @BTCVSFED BILLBOARD AND NOCBDC GRAPHIC: CRYPTOGRAFFITI

GREEN MURAL: SLOMO

THANK YOU: SATOSHI AND OTHER ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTORS

SOME BITCOIN GOODS PROVIDED BY:

CONTACT

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