Designer / filmmaker Hillman Curtis has been working for about 9 months on “The Happy Film,” one person’s pursuit of happiness through self-experiment – that person is Stefan Sagmeister.
The Happy Film takes a look at the strategies serious psychologists recommend to improve one’s personal well-being and overall happiness. The questions “Is it possible to train our mind in the same way that we train our bodies?” and “Can we change our behavior to make us happier?” will be answered in this highly visual documentary. Designer Stefan Sagmeister will try out a long list of various strategies – from the sublime to the ridiculous –and report back on the results. Experiments and explorations will be loosely based on Stefan’s book “Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far.” The maxims within this book will serve as access points to a larger exploration of happiness, it’s cultural significance, our constant pursuit of it, and its uniquely ephemeral nature.
“Myself and the production team are gearing up for our next round of tests and experiments,” said Curtis in a recent email, “and we’re holding a fundraiser to help support the project. This email is a request for your presence. Myself and my partners — Stefan Sagmeister and Ben Nabors — will be holding a screening of the prelude to our project (a 15 minute film that we completed earlier this year) on Thursday, August 4th at the SVA Theater on 23rd Street.” Following the screening, Stefan will give a 1-hour presentation about happiness in his design work, and Curtis be on hand to answer any filmmaking questions.
Tickets for the event are $50 (“which is more than you’d pay for a movie anywhere in New York City – even 4D IMAX,” says Curtis, “but it’s a fundraiser and it’s well worth it.”) Tickets are available here.
As a tasty tease check out the Sagmeisterian title sequence – and totally vegan.
