Happy is a 2011 documentary film directed, written, and co-produced by Roko Belic.[1] It explores human happiness through interviews with people from all walks of life in 14 countries, weaving in the newest findings of positive psychology.[2]
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".[3] 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 Kolkata,[4] a family living in a cohousing community in Denmark, a woman who was run over by a truck, a Cajun fisherman, and more.
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.[5]
