Tribeca Film Festival 2023: MINTED

For some, the creation of NFTs provided overnight success, yet sadly for others, financial devastation. What started off as an artistic movement in response to the growing craft of digital art became a powerhouse in the financial market of cryptocurrency. Premiering at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, Nicholas Bruckman‘s Minted takes on the highs and lows of the NFT global phenomenon, embracing the stories of the artists whose lives were forever changed by the market of digital art and discussing the evolution of an industry that was not ready for the world. And while Minted presents intrigue in both the product and the artists behind them, it struggles to become a cohesive unity of art and information itself.

The highs and lows

Opening with the auction of Beeple’s artistic collection at Christie’s Auction House, which generated a sale of 69 million dollars, Minted immediately presents the mind-blowing success NFTs once offered to audiences. A high energy opening, you as a viewer will feel both inspired and motivated. It does not immediately lean into the artistic venture, the money, and the auction ringing louder than the years of unrecognized digital art. As it transitions however from financial success to the success stories of artists from around the world, the energy of Minted comes to an abrupt halt.

There is a lot that goes into the world of NFTs, from the undisputed legality of the ownership of digital and the blockchain that protects it, to the various groups within the market itself, there is a lot to digest. And while the opening crafts the excitement to dive in, Minted quickly changes its high-speed pace, taking each artistic journey one at a time, dedicating an entire section of the film just to these stories. And while inspiring, this cramped presentation begins to feel more like a means of propaganda rather than documented success within a global phenomenon. To be honest, if the documentary is ever at risk of losing its audience, it is here within the densely packed over-saturation of success stories that fail to truly raise the artist. Rather, it feels like propaganda.

As each story concludes, the life-changing power of NFTs is fully reinforced, and the film once again changes pace, moving back into the high-speed world of finance. Minted regains the feeling of being a documentary, reintroducing its various talking heads and diving back into the more technical aspects of what an NFT is and how the market evolved. There is a balance between storytelling and information within a documentary that Minted constantly struggles to make cohesive, affecting both the mood and overall pacing of the film. For a 90-minute documentary, it will feel closer to two hours – or even longer.

Conclusion:

Minted follows along the angle of the artistic perspective, yet struggles to fully commit. It wants to be informative to its audience, but here too it never fully leans into the information it wants to deliver. Had the film been constructed and edited differently, Minted may have elevated its content, feeling more cohesively structured and more invested in its overall content. With only fifteen minutes towards its final moments, the Minted finally leans into the downfall of the NFT market following the crash of cryptocurrency. And while it does touch upon the traders and artists affected by the fall, Minted once again refuses to fully commit to the moment. It is a rushed conclusion, seemingly afraid to make all the positivity of the NFTs it has built up thus far. And while it ends on a note of hope, it leaves much to be desired in its wake.

Watch Minted