Happy (2011 film)
Happy is a 2011 feature documentary film directed, written, and co-produced by Roko Belic. It explores human happiness through interviews with people from all walks of life in 14 different countries, weaving in the newest findings of positive psychology.
| Happy | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Roko Belic |
| Produced by | Tom Shadyac Frances Reid Eiji Han Shimizu Roko Belic |
| Written by | Roko Belic |
| Music by | Mark Adler |
| Cinematography | Roko Belic Adrian Belic |
| Edited by | Vivien Hillgrove |
Production company | Wadi Rum Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $700,000 |
Roko Belic was inspired to create the film after producer/director Tom Shadyac showed him an article in The New York Times titled "A New Measure of Well Being from a Happy Little Kingdom". The article ranks the United States as the 23rd-happiest country in the world. Shadyac then suggested that Belic make a documentary about happiness. Belic spent several years interviewing hundreds of people, from leading happiness researchers to a rickshaw driver in Kolkatta,[1] a family living in a cohousing community in Denmark, a woman who was run over by a truck, a Cajun fisherman, and more.
Production
Belic and his brother Adrian Belic shot the film on three Sony Z1U HDV video cameras. They interviewed a number of psychologists around the world, including Ed Diener, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois; Richard Davidson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin's Lab of Affective Neuroscience; and Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor at the University of California, Riverside and author of The How of Happiness.[2]
Post-production
Vivien Hillgrove edited the film. Belic received the majority of the budget from Tom Shadyac to complete principal photography and post-production. The filmmakers then turned to crowdsource fundraising website Kickstarter to raise the finishing funds for the film. The Kickstarter campaign raised $36,000 in July 2010.[2]
See also
References
- "The Search for Happiness". The Huffington Post. January 20, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
- Gonzalez Jr, Miguel (July 7, 2010). "The Secret of Happiness - A Documentarian Looks for the Answer". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 8, 2010.