The Happy Film

A film by Stefan Sagmeister, Ben Nabors & Hillman Curtis

A graphic design experiment

Austrian designer Stefan Sagmeister is doing well. He lives in New York, the city of his dreams, and he has success in his work, designing album covers for the Rolling Stones, Jay-Z and the Talking Heads. But in the back of his mind he suspects there must be something more. He decides to turn himself into a design project. Can he re- design his personality to become a better person? Is it possible to train his mind to get happier? He pursues 3 controlled experiments of meditation, therapy, and drugs, grading himself along the way. But real life creeps in and confounds the process: art, sex, love, and death prove impossible to disentangle. His unique designs and painfully personal experiences mark a journey that travels closer to himself than ever intended.

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Director

Stefan Sagmeister, Ben Nabors & Hillman Curtis

Producer

Ben Nabors

Runtime

95 & 60 Minutes

Rights Represented

Digital Rights, International Rights

Captions Available

English

Language

English

Press

“Personal, thoughtful, and visually arresting.”

- Scientific American

“…will trigger rushes of insight, empathy and voyeuristic pleasure…highly entertaining.”

- Wired

“…brilliant mash-up of psychology, philosophy and especially dazzling visual pyrotechnics.”

- Film Journal

“…playful, ingenious designs infuse the movie with buoyant delight.”

- Film Forward
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Festival & Awards

Official Selection – TRIBECA Film Festival
Official Selection – SHEFFIELD Film Festival
Official Selection – HOT DOCS Film Festival
Official Selection – DOCAVIV Film Festival

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Film Licensing

We distribute films globally but we only hold the rights in particular territories in some cases.

Letting us know what type of group you are will help us get you set up with the right type of license. If you do not fall squarely into one of these categories, select “individual” or contact us at [email protected].

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  • In-person screening: This license includes the public performance rights required to host a screening for your group and a DVD copy of the film
  • Virtual screening: A link and code that are available for a single 72 hour period
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Your Selection
The Happy Film

A graphic design experiment

Cost $0.00