First Look: Václav Havel Biopic Wraps in Prague 30 Years After Velvet Revolution (EXCLUSIVE)
Click here to read the full article.
Variety has been given the first-look image for the film “Havel,” which has wrapped 30 years to the day after the start of the Velvet Revolution – a series of protests that led to the end of Communist control of Czechoslovakia and the rebirth of democracy in the country.
Viktor Dvorak stars in the biopic of Václav Havel, the Czech playwright, dissident and national leader. Anna Geislerova, who starred in Oscar nominated “Zelary,” plays his wife, Olga Havlova.
More from Variety
The pic follows Havel’s life from the Prague Spring in 1968 to the Velvet Revolution in 1989, when Havel became Czechoslovakia’s president. As well as covering Havel’s experiences as a dissident and his time in prison, it will also focus on his relationship with Olga.
The shoot wrapped Sunday in Prague’s Wenceslas Square, where Havel made his first public appearance as presidential candidate in 1989, and where the film ends.
The pic covers three decades of Havel’s life, each with a different look to them: the 60s – shot in black and white in the style of Czech New Wave cinema; the 70s – in color in the style of a Czech crime TV series; and the 80s for the Velvet Revolution – shot in a documentary style. There are also different looks for Havel as he changes from bohemian playwright to prisoner of conscience, and potential national leader.
The film is helmed by Czech filmmaker Slávek Horák, who was chosen as one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch in 2015. It is Horák’s second feature film following his 2015 feature debut, “Home Care,” which won lead actress prizes for Alena Mihulová at Karlovy Vary Film Festival and the Czech Lions, was chosen as the Czech entry for the foreign-language film Oscar, and was a hit at the local box office.
“Havel,” produced by Horák’s company TVOrba Films, received financial support from the Czech Film Fund.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
