The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) is sponsoring an exclusive sneak preview of HAPPY, the latest documentary by Academy Award Nominated Director Roko Belic, on May 10, 2011 at 5:30pm in the Clark Center Auditorium. The screening is free and open to the public. HAPPY is a powerful feature-length documentary that takes viewers on a captivating journey across the continents in a quest for the secrets to happiness. From the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata, deeply personal stories weave together with insights from prominent experts to reveal the way to a happier life. HAPPY includes appearances by well-known experts such as Richard Davidson, Ed Diener, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Daniel Gilbert. Marci Shimoff, best-selling author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul, narrates the film. In 2005, Executive Producer Tom Shadyac (Director/Producer Liar Liar, Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty) handed Belic a New York Times article that 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. Viewer response through in-person feedback, email, and the ever-growing HAPPY Facebook community has been very positive. “HAPPY is more than a movie, it’s a movement”, commented Belic.”My hope is that the film not only helps individuals find peace and contentment, but also that their personal happiness will lead to a more generous, more aware and more compassionate world.”
