After 5th MMFF win, Vilma Santos wants to spur interest in moviegoing

During a commercial break at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) awards ceremony, Sharon Cuneta walked up to Vilma Santos, gave her a warm hug and whispered to her, “I want you to win best actress, Ate Vi!”

Vilma laughed it off and gave her good friend a pat. Winning an award, after all, wasn’t really on her mind.

So you could just imagine her surprise, she said, when she was announced as the winner for her performance as an elderly overseas worker who unwittingly finds love in “When I Met You in Tokyo.” And in a touching display of humility and grace, an emotional Vilma shared the trophy with her fellow nominees, Sharon, Marian Rivera, Eugene Domingo, Pokwang and Beauty Gonzalez.

“These are all my friends. And during that moment, I felt that the award wasn’t mine alone. Everyone did well and put in the hard work. I appreciate that. They’re all deserving, so I also dedicated the award to all the nominees. Sa ‘min lahat ‘yan,” Vilma told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

One thing she has learned in her 60 years in show biz is that no one has the monopoly of glory; your colleagues and fellow artists will lift you up and when you’re down.

“I have been here in the industry for a long time. I have experienced a lot of ups and downs. And if it weren’t for my friends here, I wouldn’t be able to last for as long as I have. They’re with me wherever my career takes me. ‘Di ko pwedeng angkinin lahat ng glory,” she said.

“So, when I shared the award to them, it’s really from the heart,” stressed the 70-year-old industry icon. “They’re all good actors … I believe that we’re all family in this industry.”

It was Vilma’s fifth best actress win at the MMFF, after “Mano Po 3: My Love” (2003), “Imortal” (1989), “Karma” (1981) and “Burlesk Queen (1977). But for some reason, it felt like she had just won her first.

‘Big bonus’

“I wasn’t expecting anything, so it felt like a big bonus. I guess the jury saw something in my performance that they appreciated and prompted them to consider me for the award,” she said.

But this win goes beyond personal achievement. Her real goal, she said, is to create a simple, meaningful film that can help serve as an instrument to revitalize the ailing movie industry.

“We want to revive the spirit of the MMFF and moviegoing. And it’s happening. I see people lining up in the cinemas. That made me emotional,” she said. “There are so many digital platforms now. With a monthly subscription, you and your family can watch a lot of movies. But the act of going to theaters and bonding with your family is still different. That’s something I hope we all still get to experience.”

Vilma had nothing but gratitude to her perennial leading man, Christopher de Leon, who also worked as her associate director in “When I Met You in Tokyo.” “I was told that the scenes the jury complimented were the ones directed by Boyet. He motivated me … gave me clear instructions about how much emotion I should show, how hard I should cry. I owe him a lot,” she said.

Of course, it would have been nicer had she and Boyet taken home the top acting honors. Still, she had only respect for the winner, “Gomburza’s” Cedrick Juan. “Boyet was so good as always. There was no trace of him, just his character. But I’m sure, for him (Cedrick) to win, he must have delivered something good and worthy of an award,” she said.

‘Go back to the people’

Vilma has devoted so much of her time to promoting the movie and MMFF that she had to give up celebrating Christmas with her family. She also got sick a few days prior to the Parade of the Stars.

“Back then, after shooting the film, you just had to prepare yourself for press conferences and TV guestings. Now, there are a lot more things to do, like theater tours and advanced ticket-selling events,” she observed. “Dec. 24 is for family bonding. But this time I didn’t stay long—I couldn’t even have some wine—because I had to go on a theater tour on Dec. 25 and Dec. 26.”

But Vilma knows that movie campaigns are very different these days. Actors have to work doubly hard to promote movies with no guarantees of box-office success. So, if bringing back people to cinemas meant getting in touch with the people in different cities in the country, then so be it.

“I was told that I have to go back to the people. Have meet-and-greet sessions. Talk to them face-to-face, in the flesh. Be right there for them, so they can feel excited again … You really have to go out. It’s a new world now,” she said.

But she doesn’t mind. This is the least she could do, she said, to help the industry that has given her so much.

“I have been blessed with acting awards and box-office recognitions. Now, I’m here thinking, ‘What else can I contribute to this industry that gave me this kind of life and status as an actor?’” she said. “In my own little way, it’s my time to pay it forward.”