Former TV Actor Unveils Trailer for Documentary Critical of Cryptocurrency Industry
The documentary by Ben McKenzie, titled "Everyone Is Lying to You for Money," features conversations with disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried about his contributions to political campaigns.
Ben McKenzie, an actor from Hollywood who gained recognition through his performances in television series such as Gotham and The OC, has unveiled a trailer for a documentary film examining the cryptocurrency sector that includes conversations with celebrities and former leaders of previously well-known crypto exchanges.
The trailer for the documentary film, called "Everyone Is Lying to You for Money," was made public on Tuesday by The Forge, an international sales agency and distributor, and featured McKenzie characterizing cryptocurrency as "pretty stupid" while documenting his transformation into an advocate opposing the sector. The documentary contains 2022 footage of Sam "SBF" Bankman-Fried, who previously served as FTX's CEO, and Alex Mashinsky, former CEO of Celsius, recorded prior to the implosion of their respective firms, along with conversations featuring well-known personalities such as Morena Baccarin and Gerard Butler.
In the trailer, viewers can see McKenzie posing a direct question to SBF regarding the total amount he contributed to political figures; the documentary's cast includes Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's President, who championed the nation's adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender in 2021. In a particularly revealing moment, Butler told McKenzie during their interview that he had "made a ton of money" through cryptocurrency investments despite not "actually know anything about it."
McKenzie transitioned from his career in Hollywood to becoming a vocal critic of problems within the cryptocurrency sector following his introduction to the technology in 2020. In the aftermath of FTX's collapse in 2022, he provided testimony during a US Senate hearing that investigated the exchange's downfall, where he characterized the sector as "the largest Ponzi scheme in history."
Cointelegraph reached out to the filmmakers for comment on the content of the interviews with SBF and Bukele but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Bankman-Fried still exploring a potential presidential pardon or appeal
The disgraced former CEO of FTX is currently serving out a 25-year sentence in a US federal prison after his 2023 conviction on seven felony counts connected to the improper use of customer funds at the exchange. Nevertheless, Bankman-Fried has two possible routes to securing an early release from custody.
Soon after he received his sentence in 2024, SBF's legal team submitted an appeal seeking to overturn both the conviction and the sentence. As of Wednesday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals had not issued any ruling on the matter.
Additionally, Bankman-Fried has been attempting to influence US President Donald Trump by posting messages on social media that praise his decisions, frequently on topics that have no connection to crypto. Nevertheless, Trump indicated during a January interview that he was not contemplating a pardon for the former CEO.