New book honors Vilma Santos’ storied 60-year career
This weekend, Filipino film lovers and avid readers alike will have a unique opportunity to celebrate one of the country’s most enduring and influential screen icons, actress Vilma Santos.
Editors Lito Zulueta and Augusto Antonio Aguila will be signing today copies of “Vilma, Icon: Essays on Cinema, Culture & Society” at the Philippine Book Festival, happening at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall.
Published by UST Publishing House, the book is a long-overdue tribute to the Star for All Seasons. “This book has been long in coming,” says Zulueta, who also wrote the introduction. “Santos has been performing in movies, TV, and other media for 60 years now, building a staggering body of award-winning performances.”
Sixty years in show business is no small feat. Santos has done it all, from being a child star and a box office queen to becoming an award-winning actress and public servant. She’s played a burlesque dancer (“Burlesk Queen”), a rape survivor (“Rubia Servios”), and even a serial killer (“Tagos ng Dugo”). Each role, Zulueta pointed out, adds to a “canon of characters that chart the modern evolution of Philippine womanhood.”
The book is a collection of 19 essays by academics and scholars from top universities. “It’s an intensive study of Ate Vi’s work,” said Aguila. “Only articles by authors with master’s and doctorate degrees were included.”
“It is hoped that these essays by leading academics would provide not only a guidepost to navigate through Santos’ extraordinary body of work across six decades, but also define more fully her legacy as an actress, artist, and cultural icon,” Zulueta added.
His own contribution to the book analyzes Santos’ roles in “Burlesk Queen,” “Rubia Servios,” and “Tagos ng Dugo” through the lens of abjection, a concept by Bulgarian-French philosopher Julia Kristeva. The idea is that society often rejects what it finds unclean or threatening, and women have been unfairly cast into this marginalized space.
But abjection, Zulueta argued, can also be a source of power. “Vilma’s portrayals show how strength can emerge from struggle,” he explained. “Her daring performances exemplify what Kristeva calls the ‘singularity of genius’—the blending of life and thought, the ability to renew oneself. It’s a quality found in icons like political thinker Hannah Arendt and writer Colette. It applies to Santos, too.”
While the book’s formal launch is set to take place after the May elections to avoid any political interpretations, this weekend’s book signing offers an exciting preview. It is a chance for readers and fans to engage with the editors and gain deeper insights into the book’s meticulous research and compelling analyses.
The essays in “Vilma Santos, Icon: Essays on Cinema, Culture, & Society” investigate her key achievements and explain their significance. “Especially to newer generations of cinema lovers, this book should provide a sweeping introduction to her work,” Zulueta stressed. “For her legions of admirers, on the other hand, this book should provide a comprehensive evaluation of the high points of her impressive body of work.”
The book signing session will be at Booth No. B022 of the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
