He Lost His Crypto, Then Made an Adult Film About Climate Change

Robert Davis · 2026-10-13

### From Suburban Dad to Unlikely Filmmaker You know those stories that start with a midlife crisis and end somewhere completely unexpected? This is one of them. Karim Z was just a regular married guy in the suburbs, grinding through office work he hated, when COVID hit. He'd lost his crypto gains, got slammed with a massive tax bill, and found himself back at a desk job he couldn't stand. But instead of just complaining, he did something kind of insane: he decided to make an adult film. And not just any adult film—a music-driven, climate-change-themed epic called *Reina Reborn*. ### A 15-Day Shoot, 11 Scenes, and 16 Songs The whole thing came together in about 15 days of shooting, with 11 hardcore scenes and 16 original songs. Karim had zero filmmaking experience. Zero adult-industry connections. Just a wild idea that started as a riff on a drinking scene from *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*. "It really was just a manic, crazy idea," he says. He had to negotiate with his wife, scrap a plan to shoot in Brazil, and deal with failed professional relationships before finally connecting with Michael Vegas and Siouxsie Q, who became the core production team. ### Casting, Directing, and a Post-Production Crash He cast Valentina Nappi and Nicole Kitt as the leads, learned to direct on the fly, and built 14 original songs with Lucas Hickory. But after the shoot, he hit a depressive crash and had to navigate multiple edits. The gap between what the film cost and what it earned was huge. Karim says the project had only "a 10 percent chance of success" from the start. But profitability was never the point. ### Why Climate Change? Why Adult Film? Karim wanted to use the scale and spectacle of adult entertainment to draw attention to climate change. "I wanted to make the greatest adult film," he says. He argues that traditional advocacy hasn't worked: "It doesn't seem like anything else is working, so why don't we try something else?" It's a bold approach, and whether you agree with it or not, you have to admit it's creative. ### Where to Watch and Listen *Reina Reborn* is now streaming exclusively on RebornCinema.com. You can find the full feature, extended scenes, and photos there. The official trailer is on the site and on YouTube. The soundtrack is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Deezer. Karim is also considering a soft-core version and hopes for award-season recognition to bring in more viewers. > "I had all this money. I had all this time, and I did nothing with it except just piss it away." – Karim Z ### The Takeaway Karim's story is a reminder that sometimes the craziest ideas are the ones worth pursuing. He went from losing crypto to making a film that's part adult entertainment, part climate statement. Will it change the world? Probably not. But it's a hell of a conversation starter. And who knows—maybe it'll inspire someone else to take a swing at something impossible.