Synopsis
"HOT" is a pilot for a documentary soap opera which follows the lives of a group of British, American and Canadian Ex-pats who have settled in and around Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The main contrast between them and those of us who live in cooler climates is that they do not worry about the things we worry about. Healthcare, pensions and mortgages are irrelevant. They don't even think about tomorrow, yet the concept of "Mañana" is not their way. They are interested in living for now and they achieve that with little difficulty.

The town of Puerto Plata itself is one of the oldest on the island and was established not long after Columbus' death. The architecture has changed little since the 1930s. The town has two favourite watering holes for the ex-pats, Fat Eddy's which has the only dart board and cricket team on the island. Then there's Sam's Hotel, a ramshackle wooden building which is the oldest hotel in town, dating from the 1760s and haunt at US$100.00 per month for the back packer.

This is very much a character led film with a core of main characters who the audience will love or hate. As a result of their often wild lifestyles, drama enters their lives with uncanny regularity. In this film, Sandy who runs a smart beach bar owes $150,000 to a rather unsavourary Dominican. He's threatened to break her arms if she doesn't pay up. Colin who arrived on a ship in 1992, got drunk on shore and missed the boat out. He's been there ever since.

"HOT" offers an unusual view of life on an exotic tropical island.

"HOT" - 1 x 25 minutes for Channel 4. 1998.

Producer Pamela Hunt
Director Kate Jones-Davies