Admit it, the coming Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is highly anticipated for the comeback of the "Star For All Seasons" Vilma Santos-Recto. Due to her foray into politics, she has not been seen on the big screen for a record eight years, which is a long time by industry standards.

It took the right vehicle for Ate Vi to say yes again to acting in the movies, and this is the MMFF entry "When I Met You in Tokyo" -  produced by JG Productions - which pairs her anew with her favorite leading man, Christopher De Leon who she fondly calls "Yet-Bo."

"Naging mistress na ako ni Yet-Bo, naging asawa, lahat na yata pinagdaanan namin." This is how Vilma describes her onscreen team-up with Christopher. They have been together in about 26 movies. What they love about "When I Met You in Tokyo" is they both play their age, as two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) named Joey and Azon who fall in love in the sunset of their lives. Scenic spots in Japan add a backdrop to their touching tale of romance.

Vilma revealed that returning to the groove of reshooting movies was challenging. "My last movie was 'Everything About Her' (January 2016, Star Cinema). I told Yet-Bo you need to motivate me to be the associate director. Of course Direk Rado (Peru) and Direk Rommel (Penesa) are there, they're very good pero iba syempre pag si Yet-Bo ang nagmomotivate. Mabalik ko lang ba. Matagal rin kasi ako nagpahinga. It's no joke being a public servant. I am thankful that Yet-Bo guided me."

It will be recalled that the last time Vilma and Boyet were paired in an MMFF movie (''Mano Po III: My Love"), they were proclaimed by the festival jurors Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. Vilma quickly dispels the notion that they're also aiming for awards for "When I Met You in Tokyo."

"Ang target namin dito is more of a feel-good movie. Sa hirap ng panahon ngayon, mahirap ang masyadong mabigat. May previous kaming movies ni Yet-Bo na mabigat. Ngayon sabi nila pang-award ito. It's not the award eh. It's for the people to fall in love with the movie so that they will enjoy watching it," Vilma declared.

During the mediacon for "When I Met You...", a question was also raised about how Vilma feels that the movie "Pieta" of her perennial archrival, National Artist Nora Aunor, did not get the nod of the 2023 MMFF screening committee.

"Alam mo, intriga lang yan," Vilma replied. "Ever since the rivalry that I have with Nora Aunor, with my kumare, non-stop na yan, and I think we're both benefiting from it. Sixty years in the business, and we're still here. For that, we should be thankful already."

Vilma's fondest wish is to get families and movie lovers back into the cinemas for this year's 49th edition of the MMFF. As a former lawmaker, she said she also supports the move to lower the prices of cinema tickets to lure more people to theaters.

"Nakita naman kasi natin noon na pag sinabing blockbuster, blockbuster talaga. Nakita natin ang mga pelikula kung paano pilahan noong araw, di ba? Dati ang pila sa sine parang ahas, pero nawala na yun. Nakaka-miss ang ganun," she pointed out.

(In the past, we saw what a blockbuster movie really means. We saw how people really lined up in the theaters, and the queue was like a snake, but now it's gone. I really miss that.)

One of the highlights of the annual MMFF is the Parade of Stars, and there's a chance that the Star For All Seasons will join the float. "Ang saya-saya ng affair na ‘yan! I'm thrilled to be seeing people again. Makikita ko na naman ang mga fans. Nakakaexcite lalo na after pandemic. Ito ang chance makita ulit ang crowd, ang tao! Sana maexcite din sila para sa amin.”

(It's a very fun event! I'm thrilled to see the fans again. It's exciting, especially after the pandemic. This is the chance to see the crowd. I hope they will also be excited for us.)

"When I Met You In Tokyo" is also the first movie of the Gen Z love team of Darren Espanto and Cassy Legaspi, collectively known as CassRen. The rumored lovebirds received much-welcome advice from Ate Vi, who said: " You two have chemistry. Work on it, hone it."

The remaining cast of the movie includes Gina Alajar, Lotlot De Leon,  Kakai Bautista, Gabby Eigenmann, Tirso Cruz III, Lynn Cruz, and John Gabriel. Redgie Magno is the producer, with  Shayne Sarte as the director of photography. The screenplay is by award-winning writer Suzette Doctolero.