''Leaving'' ( cs, Odcházení) is a 2011 Czech

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then as ...

, based on his play of the same name, an absurdist look at the life of an ex-politician. The film received two

Czech Lion The Czech Lion Awards ( cs, Český lev) are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in filmmaking and television. It is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in the Czech Republic. The jury is composed of members of the Czech Fi ...

awards.

Background

''Leaving'' is the only film directed by former Czech president and playwright Václav Havel. It was released in cinemas on 24 March 2011, and broadcast by

Czech Television Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...

on 18 December, the day of Havel's death. The film received nominations in all major feature film categories in the 2011 Czech Lion Awards, winning two: Best Editing (Jiří Brožek) and Best Screenplay (Havel). It was screened within the ''Forum'' section of the 2011

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

and at the second ''Festival du film Czech-in'', Paris.

Cast

Josef Abrhám Josef Abrhám (14 December 1939 – 16 May 2022) was a Czech film and theatre actor. Biography He originally began studying acting at Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and later moved to Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts i ...

as Vilém Rieger *

Dagmar Havlová Dagmar Havlová (born Dagmar Veškrnová on 22 March 1953) is a Czech actress. She married Václav Havel, the former Czech President, on 4 January 1997. She has one daughter, Nina Veškrnová (born 1976), from a previous marriage to Radvít Nov ...

as Irena *

Vlasta Chramostová Vlasta Chramostová (17 November 1926 – 6 October 2019) was a Czech film actress. She appeared in 35 films since 1950. She starred in the 1950 film '' The Trap'' which was entered into the 1951 Cannes Film Festival. A signatory of Charter 77, ...

as Grandmother *

Eva Holubová Eva Holubová (born 7 March 1959) is a Czech actress. She is known for having cured herself of alcoholism. She received a Czech Lion Award in 2000 for her supporting role in the film ''Ene Bene'' and in 2006, she was nominated for the Best Actre ...

as Monika *

Tatiana Vilhelmová Tatiana Dyková, née Vilhelmová (born July 13, 1978 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech film and stage actress. She made her professional debut in ''Indian Summer'' (1995), directed by Saša Gedeon, for which she received her first nomination ...

as Vlasta *

Jan Budař Jan Budař (born 31 July 1977) is a Czech actor, director, singer, composer and script writer. Biography Budař was born in Frýdlant near Liberec. He graduated from the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno in 2000. He ...

as Albín *

Ivana Uhlířová Ivana Uhlířová (born 23 July 1980) is a Czech actress. After being named Talent of the Year at the 2006 Alfréd Radok Awards, she won the Alfréd Radok Award for Best Actress in 2010 for her role of ''Alžběta'' in the Ödön von Horváth ...

as Zuzana *

Jiří Lábus Jiří Lábus (born 26 January 1950, in Prague) is a Czech actor. His brother is the Czech architect Ladislav Lábus. In 1973, he graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and joined the theatre Studio Ypsilon, where he remains ...

as Hanus * Roman Bloodworth as Občan Vaněk *

Oldřich Kaiser Oldřich Kaiser (born 16 May 1955) is a Czech television, film, and stage actor known mostly for his comedic roles. Education and career Kaiser graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1978. He began his acting career with th ...

as Viktor * Barbora Seidlová as Bea Weissenmütelhofová * Stanislav Zindulka as Osvald *

Jiří Macháček Jiří Macháček (born 6 July 1966 in Litoměřice) is a Czech actor and singer. Education Macháček graduated from high school in Prague before attending Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory, the Law Faculty at Charles University in Prague, and th ...

as Jack * Stanislav Milota as Bob * Miroslav Krobot as Knobloch

References

External links

* 2011 films 2011 drama films 2011 directorial debut films Czech drama films 2010s Czech-language films Czech films based on plays Czech Lion Awards winners (films) Works by Václav Havel {{2010s-CzechRepublic-film-stub