Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me? Q&A Petr Jančárek

A multilayered portrait of Czech dissident playwright turned head of state, who became a political icon while retaining his insight, humour, and dedication to public service. In 2009, Havel invited director Petr Jančárek to film "the rest of his life," granting unlimited access and creative freedom. For nearly three years, Jancarek captured Havel’s life, juxtaposing it with scenes from his play Leaving which Havel was filming. The resulting time-lapse documentary follows Havel from meetings with world leaders to hoovering at his cottage and drumming at festivals. With Havel as the sole speaker, the documentary reflects on his political legacy and universal human issues with absolute openess through previously unseen footage.
Petr Jančárek, Czech Republic, 2023, 87‘
Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival 2023
One World Festival 2024
The screening marks this year‘s 35th anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution
The screening will be followed by Q&A with director Petr Jančárek chaired by Gareth Evans
Petr Jančárek (1959) is a Czech director, screenwriter, cinematographer and producer specialising in documentary filmmaking. He has worked as an editor for Czech Television, participated in a number of humanitarian missions and received the Ferdinand Peroutka Award for his work. He teaches at the Silesian University in Opava.
Gareth Evans is a London-based writer, editor, film / event curator and producer, host and documentary mentor. He works on special projects for the London Review of Books and curates their Screen at Home series. From 2012 - 2023 he was the Adjunct Moving Image Curator at the Whitechapel Gallery. He has recently co-written the film Wayfaring Stranger (Andrea Luka Zimmerman, IFF Rotterdam 2024) and produced Schneewittchen (Stanley Schtinter, IFF Rotterdam 2024).