This year’s Art Film Fest will present the exclusive Slovak premiere of \u201cLeaving\u201d (Odch\u00e1zen\u00ed), directorial debut of the last president of Czechoslovakia and first of the Czech Republic: V\u00e1clav Havel. <\/p>\n
Based on the legendary politician\u2019s world-famous play, the film will be screened in cooperation with distributor Garfield Film. Havel himself, his wife Dagmar Havlov\u00e1 Ve\u0161krnov\u00e1 and several of the film’s performers have been invited to the festival-closing gala premiere, to be held on June 25th in Tren\u010dianske Teplice. <\/p>\n
Marking the former president’s very first stint in the director’s chair, \u201cLeaving\u201d is a tragicomic chamber drama about a high-ranking politician unsuccessfully dealing with the loss of his position. Though it focuses on the collapse of a man’s life, the film is funny and satirical. The play it is based on was Havel\u2019s first after 1989\u2019s Velvet Revolution, parodying the political realm where he has spent a good part of his life. <\/p>\n
Though he has waited until now to delve into the world of cinema, it has always been close by. His uncle Milo\u0161 Havel was instrumental in the development of the Czechoslovakian industry, and as a child, Havel himself yearned to be a film director, only to have his plans thwarted by the circumstances and regime he grew up in. It wasn\u2019t until the summer 2010 shooting of \u201cLeaving\u201d that he was finally able to fulfil his dreams.
The film will be screened on June 24th at the renowned Moscow International Film Festival, and it will open at Slovak cinemas on June 30th. <\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally I\u2019m interested in people’s response to the film. If it is favorably received, I will rejoice in that my public career is not at an end and did not culminate by blowing up,\u201d says Havel. <\/p>\n
The film’s star-studded cast features a range of Czech cinema’s most distinguished performers, led by Josef Abrh\u00e1m and the director\u2019s wife, Dagmar Havlov\u00e1 Ve\u0161krnov\u00e1, in a role tailor-made for her. Other highlight performances include those of Ji\u0159\u00ed Barto\u0161ka, Jaroslav Du\u0161ek, Eva Holubov\u00e1, Old\u0159ich Kaiser, Ji\u0159\u00ed L\u00e1bus, Ji\u0159\u00ed Mach\u00e1\u010dek and Tatiana Vilhelmov\u00e1, as well as Slovak actors such as Mari\u00e1n Labuda. <\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate that these actors were willing to take smaller, sometimes truly microscopic roles out of friendship, often rejecting other lead roles in the process," said director V\u00e1clav Havel.
The picture was filmed from July 1st to August 21st, 2010 in \u010cesk\u00e1 Skalice\u2019s historically preserved \u010cerych Villa, and its final scenes in Ploskovice Palace. <\/p>\n
Written in 2007, Havel\u2019s play was premiered at Prague\u2019s Archa Theatre, starring Jan T\u0159\u00edska and Zuzana Stiv\u00ednov\u00e1. The production of Havel\u2019s latest play was the Czech Republic’s most significant cultural event of the past several years. \u201cLeaving\u201d was also staged by the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, where rehearsals were personally attended by the author, and it went on to international stages in England, the USA and Russia. <\/p>\n
V\u00e1clav Havel
<\/b>
A writer, a dramatist, one of the original spokesmen of the Czecho-Slovak Charter 77 movement, a leader of the November 1989 Velvet Revolution and Czechoslovakia’s last president and the first president of the modern Czech Republic, V\u00e1clav Havel is undoubtedly the Czechs\u2019 most prominent cultural and political figure of the last half-century. <\/p>\n
As a playwright, his works include \u201cThe Garden Party\u201d (Zahradn\u00ed slavnost, 1963), \u201cThe Memorandum\u201d (Vyrozum\u011bn\u00ed, 1965), \u201cThe Increased Difficulty of Concentration\u201d (Zt\u00ed\u017een\u00e1 mo\u017enost soust\u0159ed\u011bn\u00ed, 1968), \u201cConspirators\u201d (Spiklenci, 1971), \u201cThe Beggar’s Opera\u201d (\u017debr\u00e1ck\u00e1 opera, 1972), \u201cAudience\u201d (1975), \u201cUnveiling\u201d (Vernis\u00e1\u017e, 1975), \u201cMountain Hotel\u201d (Horsk\u00fd hotel, 1976), \u201cProtest\u201d (1978), \u201cMistake\u201d (Chyba, 1983), \u201cLargo desolato\u201d (1984), \u201cTemptation\u201d (Pokou\u0161en\u00ed, 1985), \u201cRedevelopment\u201d (Asanace, 1987) and \u201cTomorrow\u201d (Z\u00edtra to spust\u00edme, 1988).<\/p>\n
He wrote the first version of "Leaving" as far back as the summer of 1989 before the Velvet Revolution, when he was given the responsibility of a long-term position as head of state: president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1993 and of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until 2006 that he picked up where he\u2019d left off with \u201cLeaving\u201d, taking another year to complete the play. It was the first time in forty years that he was able to attend the preparations and premiere of his own play. The film adaptation of \u201cLeaving\u201d is his directorial debut. <\/p>\n
Since the end of his career as a high-ranking politician, V\u00e1clav Havel has devoted himself to his literary work and defending human rights. As the co-founder of the Dagmar and V\u00e1clav Havel Foundation VIZE 97, he supports numerous humanitarian, health and education projects. <\/p>\n
For his contribution to literature and his life-long efforts in the name of human rights, Havel has received a great deal of national decorations, international awards and honorary degrees.
The 19th Art Film Fest International Film Festival 2011 is made possible by the financial support of the Audiovisual Fund.<\/p>\n
Organizers: ART FILM, n.o., FORZA, a.s. <\/p>\n
Co-organizers:<\/b> The Town of Tren\u010dianske Teplice, Tren\u010dianske Teplice Spas<\/p>\n
General Sponsors:<\/b> Omnia Holding SE, AquaCity Poprad<\/p>\n
Main Sponsors:<\/b> Tatra banka, Slovnaft, VUJE, OHL \u017dS<\/p>\n
Official Transport Provider:<\/b> Lancia <\/p>\n
Logistics Sponsor:<\/b> DHL <\/p>\n
Free student Cinepasses are provided by:<\/b> Prv\u00e1 stavebn\u00e1 sporite\u013e\u0148a (First Housing-Construction Savings Bank)<\/p>\n
Sponsors:<\/b> TIPOS, Ernst & Young, AVI studio, Penzi\u00f3n Baske, Cinemax <\/p>\n
Official Suppliers:<\/b> Pilsner Urquell, HUBERT J.E.<\/p>\n
Main Media Sponsors:<\/b> Slovensk\u00e1 telev\u00edzia, telev\u00edzia JOJ, R\u00e1dio FM, Pravda, zoznam.sk
Media Sponsors:<\/b> Central Europe Television, Kino CS, Muzika CS, Doku CS, R\u00e1dio Europa 2, R\u00e1dio Hit FM, .t\u00fd\u017ede\u0148, Eurotelev\u00edzia, Pardon, OK!, Kine\u010dko, Kam do mesta, Focus, Boomerang Media, SITA, moviemania.sk, BlueSky, Telev\u00edzia Tren\u010dianske Teplice, euroAWK<\/p>\n
Sponsors:<\/b> The City of Tren\u010d\u00edn, the Tren\u010d\u00edn Self-governing Region, the Embassy of Israel in Slovakia, the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, the Slovak Film Institute, Omnia, RONA, Celtima SK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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