Roko Belic

Roko Belic is an Academy Award-nominated director known for his emotionally evocative films that take viewers to exotic places around the world. Belic was born in America to Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian parents and was raised in Evanston, Illinois. During his childhood, his mother used a wrench to lock a broken dial on the family TV to the local PBS channel. Belic became enchanted with non-fiction programs that gave him a "window to the world," and his passion for film was born. His first filmmaking experience came in third grade with his brother, Adrian, when a friend, Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), borrowed a super-8 movie camera from his parents. Belic attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he studied studio arts and foreign languages. During college, he took a year away from his studies to travel around the world among the cultures and people that would eventually become the inspiration for his work. Shortly after graduation, Belic and his brother founded the film production company Wadi Rum Films. 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). 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. 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. For his next feature, Belic teamed up with director Tom Shadyac (Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor), who executive produced, to make the 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. Belic recently directed the feature documentary Trust Me. Roko Belic is sought out as a consultant for his command of story, authentic character development, and maximizing the emotional power of a film.