Vanessa Hudgens is at the Start of Something New — a travel documentary that is. According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, the High School Musical star is coming to the Philippines later this month to film a travel documentary.
The Philippines is the home country of her mother, Gina Guangco, who immigrated to the United States when she was 25 years old. Vanessa is coming to the country for the first time and will be shooting the film in Manila and Palawan. The untitled project will be directed by Paul Soriano (yes, that Paul Soriano, who, before his current president’s nephew’s in Malacañang stint, directed films such as Mañanita, a Tokyo International Film Festival entry, and the Manny Pacquiao biopic Kid Kulafu).
Soriano is also attached to the film as producer and executive producer. Mark A. Victor of TEN17P, a film production company Soriano co-founded, will also serve as executive producer.
The project will also feature Hudgen’s mother Gina, as well as her younger sister, Stella, and showcase the relationship between them.
In a statement, Vanessa said, “I feel like ours is such a relatable story to so many women all over the world. The more that we can share, the more we can lift each other up.”
“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,” Soriano also said in a statement.
With Soriano’s heavy involvement in the project and his connections to the current administration, there’s been some speculation online that this project could mean that Hudgens will serve as an official tourism ambassador for the Philippines.
