Urban Ripples / Documentary

The Definition of Happiness

What if everything we've been told about happiness is wrong?

A documentary by Tim Elwin · 96 minutes · Australia, USA, New Zealand, Fiji

A Documentary on Mental Health, Resilience & the Pursuit of Wellbeing.

The Definition of Happiness turns the lens onto things that are often right in front of us but easy to miss. It doesn't claim to solve anything, it just shows how small shifts can sometimes make a bigger difference than we expect.

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From the director of Distressed, this 96-minute feature documentary blends lived experience, science, and global perspectives to explore the question: what does it really mean to be happy?

The Definition of Happiness follows Tim Elwin's deeply personal journey from a life-altering accident to reconnection through the ocean and the stories of others asking whether the pursuit of happiness is helping us or holding us back.

Featuring insights from

Dr. Wallace J. NicholsMarine biologist & author of Blue Mind
Prof. Felice JackaCo-Director, Food & Mood Centre, Deakin University
Prof. Adrienne O'NeilProfessor of Nutritional Psychiatry, Deakin University
Prof. Sonja LyubomirskyDistinguished Professor, University of California
Prof. Gabriele OettingenPsychologist, NYU; creator of WOOP
Dr. Tim SharpPositive psychology expert, aka "Dr. Happy"
Tom NashInternational speaker, storyteller, quadruple amputee
Bryce HastingsHead of Research, Les Mills
Dr. Samuel MehrPsychology of music, Harvard & Auckland Universities
Don Flanagan93-year-old fitness fanatic and local legend

This film invites viewers to reflect, reconnect, and maybe even redefine happiness altogether.

"A triumphant and exemplary exploration of the world's most important topic…"

Tom Nash

"Viewers should walk away from this with something to hang on to that will make life better."

FilmInk [Annette Basile]

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Two men sitting outdoors on wooden chairs having a conversation in a forested area.
A woman with rainbow-colored hair plays an acoustic guitar while sitting on a city street corner. She is wearing a pink hat with writing and a sleeveless top. Her guitar has the words 'Naked Cowgirl of Times Square' written multiple times. The background features a city scene with a crowd, a police car, and crosswalk markings.
Two men in a modern kitchen having a serious conversation; one is seated at a white kitchen island, the other stands holding grilling tools.

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