Interview:
Ben McKenzie,
director,
"Everyone Is Lying to You for Money"
Austin native Ben McKenzie did not expect to spend the first half of the 2020s being a vocal cryptocurrency skeptic. But during the height of the COVID-19 shutdown, the actor felt compelled to put his University of Virginia economics degree to work after a virtual conversation with an old college friend about Bitcoin left him with many unanswered questions. McKenzie could not understand the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrency or how Bitcoin worked as a currency if its price kept fluctuating daily. He soon arrived at the conclusion that cryptocurrency is “pretty stupid,” prompting him to deep digger into the economics, technology, and the sociopolitical implications of Bitcoin and other similar digital assets. The end result: McKenzie co-wrote the 2023 book “Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud” with journalist Jacob Silverman” and has directed the new documentary, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money. Taking inspiration from the work of Michael Moore, especially 1989’s Roger & Me, the documentary finds McKenzie taking a humorous but scathing look at the rise and mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrency, the downfall of such companies as FTX and Celsius Network, and the potentially empty promises everyday investors continue to cling to. The documentary includes interviews with FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Celsius Network cofounder Alex Mashinsky conducted months before their respective companies went bankrupt. McKenzie also travels to El Salvador, the first nation to use Bitcoin as legal tender and the future home of President Nayib Bukele’s proposed (but still unrealized) smart city and tax haven, Bitcoin City. More important, McKenzie talks with cryptocurrency converts who lost money following the collapse of FTX and/or Celsius Network. Everyone Is Lying to You for Money will screen at 8 p.m. May 1 at the AFS Cinema with director Ben McKenzie in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. Everyone Is Lying to You for Money will also screen at 4:30 p.m. May 2, 6:45 p.m. May 3, 2 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. May 3, 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. May 4, 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. May 5, and 8 p.m. May 7 at the AFS Cinema. Everyone Is Lying to You for Money represents Austin native Ben McKenzie’s feature-length directorial debut. Ben McKenzie rose to fame in the 2000s as Ryan Atwood in the teen drama The O.C. He then starred in TV series Southland and Gotham. He also appeared in the films 88 Minutes, Goodbye World, Some Kind of Beautiful, Line of Duty, and Bloat. He will next be seen in the Alan Ritchson thriller Motor City. Ben McKenzie is married to his Gotham co-star Morena Baccarin, who appears in Everyone Is Lying to You for Money.
Aired: April 29, 2026. Web sites: https://www.everyoneislying.com/ https://www.facebook.com/everyoneislyingfilm https://www.austinfilm.org/screening/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money/ |
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