Vanessa Hudgens has set plans of shooting her documentary in the Philippines to feature the roots of her Filipino mother, Gina, and her sister, Stella, who both emigrated to the U.S. at an early age, according to a report by Variety.
The untitled documentary will begin its shooting in Manila and Palawan this March, with the direction and production by Paul Soriano.
“I feel like ours is such a relatable story to so many women all over the world,” stated Hudgens in an announcement. “The more that we can share, the more we can lift each other up.”
The Asian-American actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens rose to fame from her role as Gabriella in the beloved “High School Musical” film series, and has since then focused on her acting career. She starred in films such as “Tick, Tick…Boom!” and “The Knight Before Christmas,” featured on Netflix.
Meanwhile, the American-born Filipino director and producer Paul Soriano is known for directing Filipino films such as “A Journey Home,” “Thelma,” “Kid Kulafu,” and Dukot.” In 2022, he was appointed as the Presidential Adviser for Creative Communications by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“We are honored to work with Vanessa for this film project. It’s inspiring to note that with everything she has achieved in life, she wants to discover her Filipino roots and pay homage to her mother’s country. Hopefully, this opens doors for many more collaborations to come,” Paul said in a statement.
The news about Vanessa’s first visit to the Philippines has garnered mixed reactions from audiences, with some questioning Soriano’s role in production.
yall had me at "vanessa hudgens is coming to the Philippines" but lost me at "director Paul Soriano" 🥴😬
— soph 🪽 (@s0phja) March 22, 2023
Vanessa Hudgens directed by Paul Soriano is a great example of filams milking their filipino culture without knowing filipino history
— 🌸niki🍀 (@nikiscua) March 22, 2023
Gurl, @VanessaHudgens, not Paul Soriano directing your documentary. 💀😬😁 https://t.co/qy6lnIqBh8 pic.twitter.com/INzAiGOMGV
— Miggy (@MiggyDCB) March 22, 2023
photos from: @vanessahudgens and @paulsoriano1017 on Instagram
