Citizen Havel

Colour, 35 mm
Czech Republic, USA, 2008, 120 min
Section: Czech Films 2007-2008

Synopsis

Writer and dramatist – but also a human rights activist and dissident who unexpectedly entered high politics and, after November 1989, became the country’s president. This documentary takes a look behind the scenes at the political and private dramas of Havel’s presidential tenure, a film Pavel Koutecký began shooting in 1992 – at a time when Havel was considering his second candidacy for the presidential office. A unique, intimate, sensitive and cultivated piece, it not only reveals a different side to one of the key figures in modern Czech history, but, in doing so, it also gives the viewer greater insight into the modern history of the Czech Republic. As in Havel’s life, his wives Olga and Dagmar also play an important role in the film, which also features some of his friends and colleagues, Czech and world politicians (Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Jacques Chirac), and also members of the band Rolling Stones... After Koutecký’s tragic death in the spring of 2006, the film material was processed and completed by director Miroslav Janek.

About the director

Pavel Koutecký (b. 1956, Prague – 2006, Prague) was closely involved with the Film & Sociology Association where, apart from individual documentaries, he also worked on long-term projects. His best known films include Dear Maestro (1996), Forever and Ever (1998) or The Solid Point Seekers (2002).

Miroslav Janek (b. 1954, Náchod) from the age of 15 made amateur films which won various awards. In 1979 he began making his own films as an émigré and worked as an editor with Godfrey Reggio, among others. He returned to his native country in 1995. His filmography includes the documentaries The Unseen (1996 – Ecumenical Jury Prize and Best Documentary at the KV IFF 1997), Hamsa, I Am (1998), The Musicians (1999), Battle for Life (2000) or Kha-chee-pae (2005).