HAPPY: A Search for the Secrets of Life’s Greatest Emotion

By: Summer Yasmin

“What do you want out of life?”

Go anywhere in the world, ask any individual, under any circumstance and the answer will always be the same: happiness. Happiness is the most universal of all human emotions. Everyone wants to be happy. What is even more enlightening is the fact that happiness is realized by much of the same factors worldwide, despite differences in society, culture, economy and religion.

It was this idea that intrigued academy award nominated director Roko Belic to create his latest film “HAPPY.” The film is set to launch on February 11th, World Happy Day, with screenings scheduled worldwide in Cambodia, The Philippines, Brazil, Nepal, India as well as in cities across America and even Antarctica.” The venues range from Theaters to community centers, homes, churches and schools.

“Our goal is for people all around the world to come together, on the same day, start the conversation about happiness and begin to live healthier, happier, more fulfilling lives,” says Belic.

The concept for HAPPY came about when the film’s executive producer Tom Shadyac read an article in the New York times that ranked the United States 23rd in happiness. This piqued the producer’s curiosity and he sent director Roko Belic on a mission to find out why. Belic’s job was to investigate this simple yet vast emotion “happiness.” Belic approached the subject by asking two questions.

• What is happiness and where does it come from?
• How do we balance the allure for money, power and social status with our need for strong social relationships, health and personal fulfillment?

But Belic didn’t just stop here; he tossed these questions in his back pack and went around the world seeking the answers. From Louisiana to Bhutan the quest to find and define happiness took the director into the hearts and homes of all sorts of people. He gathered stories of courage and joy, adversity and triumph, interspersed them with expert commentary and thus created the cinematic experience HAPPY.

“The desire for happiness is universal,” says Belic. “The sources are much more common and attainable than many of us believe. It is exciting to share this film and the cutting-edge research with people all over the world. It is even better to know they will be sharing it with each other, too.”

HAPPY is a highly anticipated endeavor, due not only to its uplifting and inspiring theme but also because of the unique touch that Roko Belic’s work is known to have. The Sundance Award winner’s production company “Wadi Rum” has put forth such memorable documentaries as Genghis Blues (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award. Belic has recently directed Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious, for the Blu‐Ray disc of the Hollywood feature film Inception. With Belic’s knack for exploring and expressing the world through a camera lens, HAPPY should indeed be an eye opening, smile inducing, and change initiating piece or work.

But the point of HAPPY is not just to share how people experience happiness but also to teach viewers how to attain happiness in their own lives and thus initiate a global change that is so necessary given the current state of our world’s affairs. The motto for World Happy Day is: Happy people = Happy World. Research shows that people who are happier are physically healthier and live longer lives. They help others more often and will seek creative solutions to problems more readily. Even more importantly, happy people are more likely to care for the environment and less likely to commit crimes and go to war. It may seem like an overly optimistic and perhaps even naive approach to the world’s problems but the facts speak for themselves and everything does seem to come down to this one all-encompassing human emotion. Happiness is the core of our existence as human beings. Its presence sets the foundation for our future and thus, is worth investing in.

For more information visit: www.thehappymovie.com/