CINE EUROPA: Czech film tackles faith in Sto. Niño

Czech Republic’s entry for this year’s Cine Europa in Cebu City features two families’ faith to the Sto. Niño de Prague, the counterpart icon of the Sto. Niño de Cebu in the Philippines.

The film entitled “Christmas Miracles in Prague” is about two families’ journey from Mexico to Prague to experience miracles from the Sto. Niño de Prague.
“Cebuanos and Filipinos in general can relate with the main character in the film and about faith in the Sto. Niño,” said Jaroslav Olsa Jr., ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic.

“We will know the role of Sto. Niño and how he brings miracles,” said Olsa during a press briefing last Friday.

Aside from the Czech film entry, 22 other films were also screened at Ayala Center Cebu in the Cebu leg of the nine-city, two-month film festival. The other film entries came from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland.

This year’s festival theme is “Coming of Age.”

In the Czech film entry, “Christmas Miracles in Prague,” Lenka Kny, the film’s director, said she came up with the story line of “Christmas Miracles” on the Christmas celebrations in Prague, Czech Republic.

“Kids believe that Christmas is brought by little baby Jesus. Every Christmas, kids write letters to the Sto. Niño and look up to the window if he would come,” she said.

Kny formed Blue Time Film Production where she co-produced several documentaries, her feature film debut “No Escape from the Shadow” (2009), and the “Christmas Miracles” film.

The “Christmas Miracles” film cost about $1.5 to $1.7 million. It stars Aislinn Derbez and Dolores Heredia.

After the Cebu leg, the film festival’s next stops will include Zamboanga Cinematheque, University of the Philippines (UP) in Tacloban City, and the  FilmDevelopment Council of the Philippines in Davao City.