(Header photo: Best Actress Vilma Santos gives her speech during the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival award night at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City on December 27, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File)
Over the weekend, multi-awarded actress and Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos had a thrill viewing a rare exhibit of posters, never-before-seen photos, magazines, and even vinyls of her rare recordings all in her six decades in the industry in “Vilma Night.”
Santos has played a gamut of memorable roles – from a nun (“Sister Stella L”), to a mistress (“Relasyon”), to an AIDS victim (“Dolzura Cortez”), to a suffering mother (“Anak”) to a mermaid (“Dyesebel”).
“When I became a public servant, I’m used to presenting exhibits for different people, but for the first time I’ve experienced, ako ang binigyan ng ganito,” Santos told ABS-CBN News. “First time I’ve experienced ako ang binigyan ng tribute.”
When Santos entered the site of Archivo Gallery in Makati, where the event was held, she had goose bumps when she saw the rare exhibit of her old pictures some even in her sexiest outfits, posters or videos from her “Vilma” TV show.
She had a thrill seeing her posters and photos in classic films like Maryo J. De los Reyes’ “Tagos ng Dugo” (1987), Butch Perez’s “Haplos” (1982), Celso Ad Castillo’s “BurleskQueen” (1977).
“I feel so honored that I was given this kind of tribute and I truly, truly feel so elated. Again, from the heart, thank you for this tribute.”
Snippets of 20 of Santos’ most memorable films were shown to the guests and the actress had a chance to reminisce when she worked on those films.
From “Iginuhit ng Tadhana: The Ferdinand Marcos Story” (1965) to “Dyesebel”(1973) to “Darna and the Giants” (1974) to other memorable works, Santos had the chance to fondly look back at what happened and briefly shared trivia about her films: “Tag-ulan sa Tag-araw” (1975), “Burlesk Queen” (1977), “Ikaw ay Akin” with Nora Aunor (1978), “Romansa” with Edu Manzano (1979), “Langis at Tubig” (1980), “Ang Galing,Galing Mo, Mrs. Jones” (1980).