''Leaving'' () 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...

, based on his play of the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...

, an absurdist look at the life of an ex-politician. The film received two

Czech Lion The Czech Lion Awards () 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 Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historica ...

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 ( ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting six channels. Established after breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslovak Television founded in 1953. H ...

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 (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

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 (; ) is a Czech actress and former First Lady of the Czech Republic. She has appeared in over 50 films and made hundreds of television appearances. She became First Lady upon marrying Václav Havel, the former Czech President, on ...

as Irena * Vlasta Chramostová 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 won the award for Best Actres ...

as Monika *

Tatiana Vilhelmová Tatiana (or Tatianna, also romanized as Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana, etc.) is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe. Origin Tatiana is a feminine, diminutive derivative of the Sabine—and later Latin� ...

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) is a Czech actor, comedian and voice actor. Career Jiří Lábus was born on 26 January 1950 in Prague. From a young age, Jiří Lábus was fascinated by theatre and cinema, often attending performances and l ...

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 the ...

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

Jiří Macháček Jiří Macháček (born 6 July 1966 in Litoměřice) is a Czechs, 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, ...

as Jack * Stanislav Milota as Bob *

Miroslav Krobot Miroslav Krobot (born 12 November 1951) is a Czech theatre director and actor. He starred in the film '' The Man from London'', which was entered into the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. His daughter Lenka Krobotová is also an actress. Selected f ...

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