Roko Belic is an American
film producer and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
. His directorial debut, ''
Genghis Blues'', was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Academy Honorary Award, Special Awards to ''Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. The ...
.
Early life and education
Belic was born to Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian parents, Danica and Dr. Nenad Belic.
During his childhood, his mother used a wrench to lock a broken dial on the family TV to the local PBS channel.
His first film-making experience was in third grade with his brother, Adrian, when childhood friend
Christopher Nolan
Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...
borrowed a
Super 8 movie camera from his parents.
With Nolan, Belic co–directed the
surreal Super 8 film ''Tarantella'' (1989), which aired on ''Image Union'', an independent film and video showcase on the
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...
. Nolan and Roko also worked together on a documenting a safari across four African countries, organized by the late photojournalist
Dan Eldon in the early 1990s.
Belic grew up in suburban
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, attended
Evanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School (ETHS) (District 202) is a public high school in Evanston, Illinois. The campus is located in a northern suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston a ...
and later attended the
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...
.
In April 1994, while a student at the university, Belic organized a gathering of 150 students who engaged with each other while
nude
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
. The gathering was titled "X-Hibition."
Career
For his first feature, Belic was inspired by a story in the little-known Siberian republic of
Tuva
Tuva (; ) or Tyva (; ), officially the Republic of Tyva,; , is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. Tuva lies at the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders the Federal subjects of Russia, federal sub ...
. 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
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination for best documentary feature and won over 70 international film festival awards including the Sundance Audience Award.
Belic associate produced ''
Beyond the Call'' (2006), which followed three American soldiers-turned-humanitarians traveling to war zones around the world to deliver aid. The following year, Belic co-produced and shot ''Indestructible'' (2007), which was filmed in locations from China to Israel and followed 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
''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action heist film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced it with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by inf ...
'' (2010) Blu-ray. Following its success, he directed ''The Batmobile'', released on ''
The Dark Knight Rises
''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the final instal ...
'' (2012) Blu-ray.
Belic teamed up with director
Tom Shadyac
Thomas Peter Shadyac (born December 11, 1958) is an American director, producer, and writer. The youngest joke-writer ever for comedian Bob Hope, Shadyac is widely known for writing and directing the comedy films ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', ...
(''
Bruce Almighty'', ''
Liar Liar
''Liar Liar'' is a 1997 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur. It stars Jim Carrey as a lawyer who built his entire career on lying but finds himself cursed to speak only the truth fo ...
'', ''
The Nutty Professor''), who executive produced, to make the feature documentary ''
Happy
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' (2012). He directed the music video for the Grammy-winning song Caravan by Opium Moon
and he most recently directed ''Trust Me'' (2020).
Personal life
Belic has a daughter and son with longtime girlfriend, Gael Firth. His father, Nenad, was a retired cardiologist who died while attempting to row solo across the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
Filmography
Director
* ''Tarantella'' (1989)
* ''
Genghis Blues'' (1999)
* ''
Happy
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' (2011)
* ''
Dreams
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...
'' (2010
)
* ''
The Batmobile'' (2012
)
* ''
Caravan
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
*Caravan (trail ...
'' (2018
)
* ''
Paradise
In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
'' (2019)
* ''
Trust Me'' (2020
)
Producer
* ''
Genghis Blues'' (1999) (executive producer) (producer)
* ''
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada.
United St ...
'' (2004) (field producer)
* ''
Beyond the Call'' (2006) (co-producer)
* ''
Indestructible'' (2007) (co-producer)
* ''
Happy
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' (2011) (producer)
* ''
Paradise
In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
'' (2019
)
* ''
Trust Me'' (2020
)
Writer
* ''
Genghis Blues'' (1999)
* ''
Happy
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' (2011
)
* ''
Dreams
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...
'' (2010
)
* ''
The Batmobile'' (2012
)
* ''
Paradise
In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
'' (2019
)
* ''
Trust Me'' (2020
)
Cinematographer
* ''
Genghis Blues'' (1999)
* ''
Indestructible'' (2007)
* ''
I Am (2010)
* ''
Happy
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' (2011)
Actor
* ''
Totally Fucked Up'' (1993)
* ''Fame Whore'' (1997)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belic, Roko
Living people
University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
American male film actors
American documentary filmmakers
Place of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)
American people of Czechoslovak descent
American people of Yugoslav descent
Film people from Chicago
Film directors from Illinois