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 | |
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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 |
Partner(s) | Gael Firth |
Children | 2 |
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, organised 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 of 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 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]
Belic associate produced Beyond the Call (2006), following three American soldiers-turned-humanitarians, traveling to war zones around the world delivering aid. The following year, Belic co-produced and shot 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.
Belic has a daughter and son with longtime girlfriend, Gael Firth.[10][11][12] His father, Nenad, was a retired cardiologist who died while attempting to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.[13]
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