The ASEAN Film Festival is an annual five-day event showcasing selected films by the ASEAN Committee in Prague (ACP), which consists of the Embassies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

In his remarks before the screening, Philippine Ambassador to the Czech Republic Victoriano M. Lecaros acknowledged the special guests from Manila and had them take center-stage to talk about the film. The director candidly spoke about the making of the Bamboo Flowers. He said that the film started with a modest 1.5 million Philippine peso grant from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and support of the actors who agreed to lower their talent fees.

The FDCP’s criteria in giving the grant include the proviso that the film must be set in the country side. Mr. de los Reyes, who hails from Bohol province in the Central Philippines, shot the film along the Loboc River and parts of the famed Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier Conservation Area, as well as in their family farm in Bohol.

Ms. Collins, who plays Dolores-- a village lass, eloquently described her character and drew a comparison of her story to the ordinary travails of Filipino youth striving for have a better life and the choices they make along the way.

The 500-seat Lucerna Cinema Theater was nearly filled to capacity, fire regulations permitting. Other than the enthusiastic local Filipino community, The audience included members of the Diplomatic Corps, government representatives, business groups and the Czech movie-going public. The screening was followed by a simple reception hosted by the Philippine Embassy offering viewers samples Philippine delicacies such as lumpia and palitaw in Prague. END