Czech-ing things out

PRAGUE — The weather here is sooooo cold, enough to freeze your balls off, or in the vernacular, uurong ang b*yag mo. If you think Tokyo gets cold in January, that's nothing: It's minus 6 degrees Centigrade here. This is my fifth time in the city, but always in October, right after attending Oktoberfest in Munich; never in weather this chilly.

Well, it's exactly the effect we're looking for in filming half of the scenes of our latest Borracho Films movie, "Spring In Prague," starring Maximum Hunk Paolo Gumabao (whose body closely resembled mine in my heyday), and Czech supermodel/actress Sara Sandeva.

It is the story of a Filipino who fell in love with the granddaughter of a former high-ranking Czech Communist Party official in the former Czechoslovakia; her family lost power and favor after the fall of the USSR. When the former country split into two, the Communist Party was outlawed in the nascent Czech Republic. This resulted in much bitterness for the father of the female lead, he who was supposed to have the inside track to lead the country.

Clinging to the old ways, he raised his daughter in a most restrictive atmosphere. She rebelled, escaped to the Philippines, fell in love, was inveigled by her father to return to Prague, with her lover frantically looking for her. It is a modern love story with a subtle (actually, not too subtle) dig at the pointlessness of the Communist doctrine.

The other half has already finished principal photography in Puerto Galera, representing the "summer" segment of the film, where everything was happy for the couple. Winter symbolizes the nadir of their relationship, where the two lovebirds run into all sorts of trouble. I won't give away what happened when spring in Prague arrived. You have to buy tickets.

The idea for the movie came about when I was vacationing in Prague with my family and the Arroyos two years ago. The chargé d'affaires of our embassy here, Madame Indhira Banares, regaled us over dinner with stories of Czech women falling head over heels in love with Filipino men, and she wondered aloud why it was not so the other way around. I wanted to propound some theories, but they were all ribald.

The showing of the film is to coincide with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic (as successor of the former Czechoslovakia) and the Philippines, so it will be quite memorable in that aspect. It is hoped that apart from a domestic showing, we can exhibit the film in Europe, the better to showcase the best of the Philippines, as well as the charms of Old Town, Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock in Prague, among other attractions. I wish both our government and theirs could help. Prague is not really a top-of-mind destination for Filipinos when they think of Europe. They are missing a lot.

I wonder if it would help Czech tourism if I mention that Prague is now considered the Porn Capital of the World, dethroning Los Angeles, California, which had held that dubious distinction for more than half a century. Two of the biggest X-rated sites in the world — Xvideos and XNXX, or so I've heard, since I'm not familiar with either — have the locus of their operations in Prague, and the city churns out erotic videos like Toyota assembles cars. I suppose a great part of the reason, aside from the fact that labor is cheaper, is that almost every young woman in Prague looks like a Victoria's Secret model. Kid in a candy store doesn't even begin to describe it.

At any rate, I hope to see you all at the movie premiere. Popcorn is on me, just so you'd Czech it out.