Roko Belić | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of California, Santa Barbara |
Occupation(s) | Film producer and director |
Years active | 1993–present |
Notable work | Genghis Blues , Happy |
Style | Documentary film |
Partner | Gael Firth |
Children | 2 |
Roko Belic is an American film producer and director. His directorial debut, Genghis Blues , was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
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 childhood friend Christopher Nolan borrowed a Super 8 movie camera from his parents. [1] 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. [5] 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. [6]
Belic grew up in suburban Chicago, attended Evanston Township High School [3] [7] [8] and later attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. [8] In April 1994, while a student at the university, Belic organized a gathering of 150 students who engaged with each other while nude. The gathering was titled "X-Hibition." [9]
For his first feature, Belic was inspired by a story 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 ]
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 (2010) Blu-ray. Following its success, he directed The Batmobile, released on The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Blu-ray.
Belic teamed up with director Tom Shadyac ( Bruce Almighty , Liar Liar , The Nutty Professor ), who executive produced, to make the feature documentary Happy (2012). He directed the music video for the Grammy-winning song Caravan by Opium Moon [10] and he most recently directed Trust Me (2020). [11]
Belic has a daughter and son with longtime girlfriend, Gael Firth. [12] [13] [14] His father, Nenad, was a retired cardiologist who died while attempting to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. [15]