Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve - 2013

Money For Nothing: Inside The Federal Reserve is an independent, non partisan documentary film that examines America's central bank in a critical, yet balanced way.

Narrated by the acclaimed actor Liev Schreiber, and featuring interviews with Paul Volcker, Janet Yellen, Jeremy Grantham and many of the world's best financial minds, Money For Nothing is the first film ever to take viewers inside the world's most powerful financial institution.

Nearly 100 years after its creation, the power of the U.S. Federal Reserve has never been greater. Markets and governments around the world hold their breath in anticipation of the Fed Chairman's every word. Yet the average person knows very little about the most powerful - and least understood - financial institution on earth. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, Money For Nothing is the first film to take viewers inside the Fed and reveal the impact of Fed policies - past, present, and future - on our lives. Join current and former Fed officials as they debate the critics, and each other, about the decisions that helped lead the global financial system to the brink of collapse in 2008. And why we might be headed there again.

Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve is an independent feature-length American documentary about the Federal Reserve written and directed by Jim Bruce, and narrated by Liev Schreiber. It examines 100 years of the Federal Reserve's history, and discusses its actions and repercussions the US economy leading to the late-2000s financial crisis. Bruce believes "a more fully and accurately informed public will promote greater accountability and more effective policies from our central bank".^[1] The film features interviews with Paul Volcker and Janet Yellen as well as current and former Federal Reserve officials, top economists, financial historians, famous investors, and traders who provide insight on the Federal Reserve System.

The film was released in US theaters on September 6, 2013.

Cast

• Paul Volcker - Chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979–1987)
• Janet Yellen - Chair of the Federal Reserve (2014-Present), Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve (2010–2014), President, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2004–2010)
• Alice Rivlin - Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve (1996–1999)
• Alan Blinder - Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve (1994–1996)
• Peter Fisher - Undersecretary of the Treasury (2001–2003), Executive V.P. of the New York Fed (1994–2001)
• Richard Fisher - President, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (2005–Present)
• Thomas Hoenig - President, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (1991–2011)
• Jeffrey Lacker - President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (2004–Present)
• Charles Plosser - President, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (2006–Present)
• William Poole - Economist, President, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (1998–2008)
• Laurence Meyer - Economist, Governor of the Federal Reserve Board (1996–2002)
• Marvin Goodfriend - Senior V.P., Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (1993–2005)
• Michael Bordo - Economist, Rutgers University Professor, Director, Center for Monetary and Financial History
• David Colander - Economist, Middlebury College Professor
• James Grant - Economist, Editor - Grant's Interest Rate Observer
• Martin Mayer - Scholar - The Brookings Institution, Author - The Fed
• Allan Meltzer - Economist, Author of "A History of the Federal Reserve", Carnegie-Mellon University Professor
• Raghuram Rajan - Chief Economist - International Monetary Fund(2003 – 2007), University of Chicago Professor
• Richard Sylla - Economist, New York University Professor, Chairman - Museum of American Finance
• Bill White - Chief Economist, Bank for International Settlements, (B.I.S.) (1995 – 2008)
• Peter Atwater - President and CEO - Financial Insyghts, LLC, Former Head of Asset Finance - J.P. Morgan
• Tony Boeckh - Economist, Chairman - B.C.A. Research (1968–2002), Founder - The Boeckh Investment Letter
• Jeremy Grantham - Investor, Financial Historian, Chairman - Grantham, Mayo Van Otterloo
• Todd Harrison - Derivatives Trader, Hedge Fund Manager, Founder and CEO - Minyanville.com
• John Mauldin - President - Millennium Wave Advisors, Author – Endgame
• Barry Ritholtz - Washington Post columnist, Author - Bailout Nation, CEO - Fusion IQ
• Gary Shilling - Economist, Forbes columnist, Author, President - A. Gary Shilling & Co.
• John Succo - Derivatives Expert, Hedge Fund Manager

Film festivals

Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve was selected for the Vancouver Film Festival for September 2013. It was also screened at various film festivals such as:

• Nantucket Film Festival - 2013
• International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam - 2012 (IDFA)

  Reception

  Business Insider - "We Watched 'Money For Nothing,' The 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Of Federal Reserve Documentaries"The film has received coverage from various media sources such as CNBC and Bloomberg Reviews:
  • Reuters - "New film takes a whack at warped Fed policies in the land of never-ending bubbles"
  • Reuters - "Review: "Money for Nothing" sets crisis-film high"
  • The New York Times - "An eye-opening look at the Federal Reserve"
  • Forbes - "'Money For Nothing' May Cause American Economy To Self-Destruct Again"
  • The Washington Post - "'Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve' movie review"
  • The Washington Post - "Filmmaker bet on financial crisis, used profit to make documentary about Federal Reserve"
  • FrontRow.Dmagazine - "Movie Review: Money For Nothing Offers Familiar Newsflash: The U.S. Economy Is In No Great Shakes"
  • The Hollywood Reporter - "Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve: Film Review"
  • TheStreet.com - "Doug Kass: 'Money for Nothing' Is a Must-See"