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HAPPY

Children, Kolkata, India.
Courtesy of Wadi Rum Productions
Children, Kolkata, India.

Airs Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 8 p.m. & Sunday, June 8 at 7 a.m. on KPBS TV

From 
the
 Academy
 Award® 
nominated 
director 
Roko 
Belic 
("Genghis
 Blues")
 comes 
a 
new
 cinematic 
adventure.
 "HAPPY" 
is
 a
 feature‐length 
documentary 
that
 leads 
viewers
 on
 a
 journey
 across 
five 
continents 
in
 search 
of 
the
 keys 
to 
happiness. 
The 
film 
addresses 
many 
of
 the
 fundamental
 issues 
we 
face
 in
 today’s
 society:
 how
 do 
we
 balance
 the 
allure 
of 
money,
 fame
 and
 social
 status 
with
 our
 needs 
for
 strong 
relationships,
 health
 and
 personal
 fulfillment?
 Through 
remarkable 
human 
stories 
and 
cutting‐edge
 science, 
"HAPPY" 
leads 
us 
toward
 a
 deeper
 understanding
 of
 why
 and
 how 
we
 can
 pursue
 more 
fulfilling,
 healthier 
and
 happier 
lives.

Nambian bushman
Courtesy of Wadi Rum Productions
Nambian bushman
Manoj Singh, a rickshaw driver living in the slums of Kolkata, India has the same level of happiness as most Americans.
Courtesy of Wadi Rum Productions
Manoj Singh, a rickshaw driver living in the slums of Kolkata, India has the same level of happiness as most Americans.
Roy Blanchard Sr. is a happy resident of the Louisiana Basin. Blanchard shares his crab fishing and love for nature with his community.
Courtesy of Wadi Rum Productions
Roy Blanchard Sr. is a happy resident of the Louisiana Basin. Blanchard shares his crab fishing and love for nature with his community.
Give at the $180 level during our membership campaign and receive the "Happy" combo package which includes a "HAPPY" DVD, the "Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience" Audiobook CD and the book "The How of Happiness" by Sonja Lyubomirsky. This gift also includes enrollment in the myKPBS Savers Club plus additional online access to more than 130,000 merchant offers and printable coupons, as well as a KPBS License Plate Frame (if you're a new member).
Courtesy of Wadi Rum Productions
Give at the $180 level during our membership campaign and receive the "Happy" combo package which includes a "HAPPY" DVD, the "Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience" Audiobook CD and the book "The How of Happiness" by Sonja Lyubomirsky. This gift also includes enrollment in the myKPBS Savers Club plus additional online access to more than 130,000 merchant offers and printable coupons, as well as a KPBS License Plate Frame (if you're a new member).

"HAPPY" 
takes 
the
 viewer 
from 
the 
bayous 
of 
Louisiana 
to 
the 
deserts 
of 
Namibia,
 from 
the
 beaches 
of
 Brazil 
to
 the 
mountains
 of 
Bhutan. 
Listen 
to
 the
 wisdom 
of 
a 
Kolkata
 rickshaw
 driver,
 the 
compassion
 of 
a
 volunteer
 at 
Mother
 Teresa’s
 Home 
for 
the
 Dying 
and
 the
 knowledge
 of
 some
 of
 the
 world’s
 leading
 happiness
 researchers.
 Witness
 as
 middle
 school
 students 
applaud
 the 
bravery
 of 
their 
classmates 
during
 a
 moving
 presentation 
on 
bullying. 


"HAPPY" 
combines
 real‐life 
human 
drama
 and
 cutting‐edge
 science 
to
 provide 
insights
 into
 the 
mysteries 
of
 happiness.


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In
 2005,
 director 
Tom
 Shadyac
 ("Liar 
Liar,
" "Patch 
Adams,""Bruce 
Almighty") 
handed
 Roko
 Belic
 a
 New
 York 
Times 
article 
entitled, 
“A 
New 
Measure 
of
 Well‐Being 
From 
a
 Happy
 Little 
Kingdom.”
 The
 article
 ranked 
the
 United 
States
 23rd
 on 
its 
list 
of
 happiest 
countries.


Shadyac,
 himself
 dissatisfied
 with
 his 
luxurious
 Beverly 
Hills 
lifestyle,
 asked 
Belic
 to 
make 
a
 documentary
 investigation 
into 
the 
origins 
of 
human 
happiness‐‐and 
why 
the 
U.S. 
ranks
 so 
low.
 This 
simple
 inquiry 
led to
 a 
global
 exploration
 of
 happiness 
research.


"HAPPY"
 was 
developed 
under
 the
 Creative
 Visions 
Foundation,
 a
 publicly
 supported
 501 
(c)(3),
 which 
supports
 Creative 
Activists 
who
 use 
the
 power 
of 
media 
and
 the
 arts 
to
 affect 
positive
 change
 in 
the 
world. 


Belic 
has
 been 
filming "
HAPPY" 
for
 the 
past 
four 
years,
 and
 has 
attracted
 well‐known 
experts 
such 
as
 Ed
 Diener,
 Sonja 
Lyubomirsky, 
Richard
 Davidson,
 Mihaly
 Csikszentmihalyi
 and 
others.
 Marci
 Shimoff,
 best‐selling 
author 
of
 "Happy 
for
 No
 Reason" 
and
 "Chicken Soup
 for
 the
 Woman’s
 Soul,"
 narrates
 the
 film.

Wadi
 Rum 
Production 
films
 are
 a 
collaboration 
between 
the 
two
 Academy 
Award® 
nominated
 brothers
 Roko
 and
 Adrian 
Belic.
 Their 
debut
 feature,
 "Genghis 
Blues,"
 premiered 
at 
the 
Sundance
 Film 
Festival, 
where 
it
 won 
the 
Audience
 Award 
and
 received
 acclaim 
at
 over 
100 
film 
festivals
 worldwide.
 Adrian’s 
most
 recent 
film,
 "Beyond 
the
 Call,
" has 
enjoyed 
equal
 success,
 screening
on
 five 
continents
 and
 winning 
over
 70
 international 
awards. 
"HAPPY" 
is 
Roko’s 
latest
 work.

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"HAPPY" is on Facebook, and you can follow @TheHappyMovie on Twitter.

This program is part of our TV Membership Campaign. Support quality programming you depend on from KPBS. Join or renew today!

Happy - A Documentary Trailer
Happy: Introducing Manoj Singh
Happy: Introducing Okinawa
Happy: Introducing Richard Davidson
Happy: Marci Shimoff VO