Former Czech President Vaclav Havel allows the world a backstage peek at his turbulent political career in a two-hour documentary to be premiered in Prague on Thursday.
The film “Citizen Havel” is based on a total of 45 hours of material gathered by Havel’s friend Pavel Koutecky, who followed the president around the world for thirteen years, starting in 1992. Shot in family video style, it shows Havel at home, writing history on the world stage, or encountering global celebrities.
“It [the movie] puts a human face on the image of Havel — the icon,” said David Dusek, one of the co-producers of the film. “Lots of people will be surprised.” Viewers get to see Havel nervous against the backdrop of political Washington, clowning around with Bill Clinton in a jazz club and showing the Rolling Stones around Prague Castle. Dusek says the movie, distributed by Aerofilms in the Czech Republic, was well received at US college screenings last year, and will compete at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 11.
Havel was a dissident playwright when he led the 1989 revolution that peacefully toppled communism. He became president of Czechoslovakia in December 1989 and served as Czech president from January 1993 after the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. His last term in office ended in February 2003.
