Citizen Havel (Občan Havel)

After the split of Czechoslovakia in 1992 former political dissident, playwright and outspoken essayist Václav Havel became the first president of a new country, the Czech Republic. A former enemy of the state and leader of the Velvet Revolution, Havel was given a popular mandate to transform that state and its institutions. On taking his new office, Havel invited his friend the documentarist Pavel Koutecký to capture the birth of their new nation. Filmed over ten years, this understated, witty and considered documentary gives a fascinating insight into Czech politics and the man who helped shape the history of the new republic.

Covering a vast range of events from intense international debates, celebrity visits (including those of The Rolling Stones and Bill Clinton) and the routine of day-to-day politics, to unexpected personal tragedy, this is an intimate portrait of a politician and of a man. Koutecký died in 2006 and his friend filmmaker Miroslav Janek spent several years piecing together this engaging multi-layered portrait, which remains both a testimony to a charismatic leader and to an esteemed filmmaker.
Sarah Lutton