Vilma pitted with Kim in new Star Cinema pic

MANILA, Philippines - Taking another break from her tight schedule as Governor of Batangas, Vilma Santos returns to the big screen in a role that she has never done before.

“Iba naman this time,” said Vilma whose last movie was Star Cinema’s In My Life, partly filmed in New York, with her son Luis Manzano among her co-stars with John Lloyd Cruz. The movie was shown more than three years ago.

The role and her dream of working with director Chito Roño are among the compelling reasons that made Vilma again asked the permission of her Batangas constituents to do the movie.

“It’s my first time with Chito and I’m excited,” added Vilma. “It’s every actress’ dream to work with a director like him, di ba?”

The Healing, their first collaboration is a thriller of which direk Chito is becoming famous for (remember Feng Shui, Sukob and many others of the same genre?).

From a screenplay by Roy Iglesias, the Star Cinema offering is the story of a curse that plagues a community. Vilma plays Seth, who works in an insurance company, who believes that she has witnessed a miracle when her stroke-stricken father is healed by a faith healer. 

Another “first” in the project is Vilma’s being pitted with Kim Chiu (as the daughter of Vilma’s husband) who is cured of a life-threatening illness by the faith healer but whose healing is believed to have carried a curse on the community that suffers deaths of residents.

“I love the role,” continued Vilma. “You can call it a ‘one-of-a-kind’ role.”

Said Kim, “Working with Gov. Vi is a wonderful experience. I learned so much more from her during the shoot than I could have learned somewhere else, not only as a person but also as an actress. She’s so approachable, so down-to-earth. She doesn’t put up ‘walls’ around her so everyone feels free to talk to her.”

Since The Healing, which opens in more than 100 theaters nationwide on July 25, marks Vilma’s 50th anniversary in showbiz, Star Cinema has gathered an all-star cast that also includes, among others, Janice de Belen, Mark Gil, Martin del Rosario, Allan Paule, Cris Villanueva, Daria Ramirez, Ces Quesada, Ynez Veneracion, Simon Ibarra, Joel Torre, Chinggoy Alonso, Mon Confiado, Carmi Martin and Pokwang.