Garrett Patten's 'Self Custody' Highlights Two Perspectives on Bitcoin, Featuring Adrien Grenier and Henry.

      “Self Custody,” a witty and suspenseful new thriller co-directed by and starring Garrett Patten, effectively presents both the advantages and disadvantages of Bitcoin.

      The advantage of Bitcoin lies in its decentralized, peer-to-peer digital currency nature, which is both untraceable and unregulated by any government.

      Conversely, the disadvantage of Bitcoin also stems from it being a decentralized, peer-to-peer digital currency, untraceable and lacking government regulation.

      “Self Custody” explores these dual facets—though it leans more toward the negative aspects. The film is inspired by the reality that millions of dollars in Bitcoin are lost each year due to fraud or mere forgetfulness. The title highlights the notion that Bitcoin holders are solely responsible for their assets.

      The film was showcased during a special screening at SXSW on Saturday night, featuring a post-film Q&A with Patten alongside Entourage alum Adrien Grenier, who plays a pivotal but detached chaos agent in "Self Custody." Also present was two-time UFC champion Henry Cejudo, who enters the film later to demonstrate his fighting spirit on screen, just as he does in the ring. Odette Annable delivers a strong, impactful performance.

      Patten refers to the 31-minute film as more of a micro-feature than a short, and it is also available on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Plex. In the lead role of Scott, a father and business owner facing financial difficulties, Patten delivers a compelling performance. Scott believes he has found salvation when a friend and advisor (Michael Monks) informs him about a Bitcoin fortune stemming from a signing bonus over a decade ago.

      However, complications arise: to access the funds, Scott must remember his old PIN and a seed phrase. Things deteriorate rapidly.

      Grenier and Cejudo mentioned on Saturday that they eagerly joined the project because of their friendship with Patten. Yet, Grenier revealed a personal connection as a "Bitcoin maxi," or a staunch believer in Bitcoin, seeing its benefits as far more significant than its drawbacks.

      During the Q&A, when the audience prompted him to explain "maxi," Grenier humorously noted, “It’s someone who places their faith in Bitcoin over all other cryptocurrencies or ‘s— coins.’ That’s a technical term, by the way. There are two sides to the coin—or Bitcoin.”

      After eliciting laughter from the audience, he elaborated: “It’s a pure technology that resembles digital gold, whereas other coins often have many vulnerabilities. You can’t actually access Bitcoin, which is by design, as it includes various checks and balances. In contrast, other cryptocurrencies are largely just sophisticated apps or websites.”

      Returning to the negatives, Patten emphasized that those very checks and balances have their downsides. He was motivated to create “Self Custody” after a friend lost millions in Bitcoin due to issues accessing it.

      “A friend who lost his job discovered that he had been gifted crypto in the past and embarked on a mission to recover it,” Patten shared.

      While researching for the film, which he co-directed with Fernando Ferro, Patten uncovered numerous instances of individuals losing hundreds of millions in Bitcoin.

      The Austin screening, held at the beautiful Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Mueller, marked a return for the film, which was shot in the heart of SXSW. Patten praised the film's high production quality, attributing it to his Austin crew.

      “For an indie project, it felt like a feature film, and that's all thanks to the crew,” he stated. “You can’t achieve that quality in every city; I’ve filmed in many places, and Austin has so much to offer.”

      Grenier, a local resident, expressed his delight at shooting near home.

      “I’m a strong supporter of the Austin film market and Texas as a whole,” he noted. “I want to create projects in this area. Selfishly, I want to be able to return home to my family after work, and with the new $1.5 billion incentive from the Texas government, I believe we will see more projects arise.”

      Patten, who has mainly worked behind the scenes, has produced projects like 2022’s Bandit, featuring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, and Mel Gibson, and last year’s The Hand of Dante, starring Oscar Isaac and Al Pacino.

      To prepare for his lead role in “Self Custody,” he took acting classes and recruited his acting teacher, Monks, for a key part in the film.

      “From the outset, we had great chemistry and formed a solid friendship. Supporting him in his endeavor, which I love, became a wonderful mutual experience,” Monks shared. “His dedication was inspiring, and I wanted to contribute.”

      In a pivotal moment (spoilers ahead), Monks' character faces off against Cejudo's role, combining the expertise of an actor and a competitive fighter.

      Cejudo noted that Monks helped coach him on