Roko Belic
Roko Belic is an American film producer and director. His directorial debut, Genghis Blues, was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature.
Roko Belić | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Occupation | Film producer and director |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Notable work | Genghis Blues, Happy |
| Style | Documentary film |
| Home town | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Partner(s) | Gael Firth |
| Children | 1 |
Contents
Early life and educationEdit
Belic was born to Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian parents, Danica and Dr. Nenad Belic.[1][2] During his childhood, his mother used a wrench to lock a broken dial on the family TV to the local PBS channel.[3][4] His first film-making experience was in third grade with his brother, Adrian, when a friend, Christopher Nolan, borrowed a super-8 movie camera from his parents.[1] Belic grew up in suburban Chicago and attended Evanston Township High School.[3][5][6] Belic later attended the University of California, Santa Barbara.[6]
CareerEdit
For his first feature, Belic was inspired by a story unfolding in the little-known Siberian republic of Tuva. Trusting his intuition, Belic purchased two cameras on credit and flew with his brother to Tuva to create the documentary feature, Genghis Blues (1999).[citation needed] Belic’s landmark film received an Academy Award nomination for best documentary feature and won over 70 international film festival awards including the Sundance Audience Award.[citation needed]
Continuing with his passion of global cinematic journeys, Belic associate produced Beyond the Call (2006), following three American soldiers-turned-humanitarians, traveling to war zones around the world delivering life-saving aid. The following year, Belic co-produced and shot the award-winning Indestructible (2007), filmed in locations from China to Israel, following one man’s search for a cure for his terminal illness.
In 2010, Belic directed the documentary Dreams: Cinema Of The Subconscious, included on the Inception (2010) Blu-ray. Following its success, he directed The Batmobile, released on The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Blu-ray.
Most recently, Belic teamed up with director Tom Shadyac (Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor), who executive produced, to make the feature documentary Happy (2012). Directed, written, and co-produced by Belic, Happy combines powerful human stories with cutting-edge science to give audiences a deeper understanding of our most desired emotion. Happy won numerous awards and screened in 70 countries. It was the #1 documentary on iTunes for over nine weeks and achieved "All-Time Bestseller" status.
Personal lifeEdit
Belic currently resides in Malibu, California with his longtime girlfriend, Gael Firth, and their daughter, Viva Paradise Firth Belic.[7][8][9]
Belic's step-mother, Ellen Stone Belic, is the daughter of Jerome H. Stone, the founder of the Alzheimer's Association and of J.H. Stone & Sons.[10][11] His father, Nenad, was a retired cardiologist who died while attempting to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.[12]
FilmographyEdit
DirectorEdit
- Genghis Blues (1999)
- Happy (2011)
- Dreams (2010)
- The Batmobile (2012)
ProducerEdit
- Genghis Blues (1999) (executive producer) (producer)
- Homecoming (2004) (field producer)
- Beyond the Call (2006) (co-producer)
- Indestructible (2007) (co-producer)
CinematographerEdit
- Genghis Blues (1999)
- Indestructible (2007)
- I Am (2010)
- Happy (2011)
ActorEdit
- Totally Fucked Up (1993)
- Fame Whore (1997)
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b "About WadiRum". http://wadirum.com. Retrieved March 2, 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ^ Freedman, Rich (January 23, 2011). "Belic is back in Bay Area with 'Genghis Blues'". Vallejo Times Herald. Vallejo, California. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ a b Ramsey, Nancy (July 4, 1999). "How a Creole Singer Wowed Them in Shangri-La". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Curiel, Jonathan (July 1, 1999). "'Genghis' Lets Brothers Leave the Blues Behind/Pair scrimped five years to pay for documentary". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, California. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Wilmington, Michael (January 29, 1999). "Documentaries, Foreign Films Are The Real Stars At Sundance". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ a b Petrakis, John (September 24, 1999). "For The Love Of Tuva, `Genghis Blues' Was Filmed". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Gerhard, Susan (July 6, 2011). "Roko Belic Charts Path to 'Happy'". sf360.org. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Freedman, Rich (April 22, 2011). "Latest film, first child, keep Belic busy". Vallejo Times Herald. Vallejo, California. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Katz, Laura (February 8, 2012). "Interview with Roko Belic, Producer And Director Of Happy, A New Documentary". askmissa.com. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Diamond, Seymour; Morey, Charlie (January 6, 2015). The Headache Godfather. New York City: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781629145389.
- ^ Megan, Graydon (January 5, 2015). "Jerome Stone, helped start Alzheimer's Association, dies". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ McCann, Tom (December 10, 2001). "Dr. Nenad Belic, 62..." Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 2, 2015.