From NYFA to Amazon Prime: A Q&A with NYFA Alum Virginia Novello on her debut feature film "Las Tres Sisters"

NYFA Alumni Network: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you're from, and what brought you to New York Film Academy?

Virginia Novello (V.N.): I’m from Guadalajara, México. I grew up acting in theater, and during high school I had my first interaction with acting in film—and that moment changed everything. I realized how different those two styles of acting were, and it sparked so much curiosity in me to learn more about film in general!

A friend of mine, Manuel García Rulfo, was already in film school and he told me it was amazing. There was this program called Acting for Film in the mecca of cinema—and I got so excited. It felt like the right next step for me!

NYFA Alumni Network: What projects have you worked on since graduating? Have you won any awards or been showcased in any festivals or competitions?

V.N: I’ve done a lot of independent films. Las Tres Sisters has been part of amazing festivals like Raindance, the Guadalajara Film Festival, and the San Francisco Film Festival.

NYFA Alumni Network: Over the years, you’ve worn many creative hats—actor, writer, director, producer. How did that evolution happen for you?

V.N: When I first came here, I was told that my accent didn’t match my physicality, and it was hard for people to typecast me. I was craving creativity—I had so much I wanted to explore and express. So, in 2010, I wrote my first short film. I raised the money and pitched it to a producer and a director. They loved it and gave me creative control. After that project, I was hooked. Creating something from start to finish and having a voice in that way was deeply meaningful. I knew I could never go back to focusing on just one area.

Producing came more from a need at first. I wanted to stay in this country, so I started a production company, raised some funds from investors again, and bought equipment—like a RED camera, lights, and everything we needed. I started producing a lot of music videos and shows that were from the U.S. but shot in Mexico. I did that full-time for three years to pay my investors back—and I did. It was such a learning experience. During that time, I also shot several things I wrote and acted in.

NYFA Alumni Network: Tell us more about Les Tres Sisters. How did the project come about?

V.N: Las Tres Sisters started as a short. Valeria Maldonado and I wrote it together. It was supposed to be just for our reels. I invited Marta Cross to direct. We had been friends for a while, and she was 8 months pregnant and craving a creative outlet. We did an Indiegogo campaign, and from there, something unexpected happened: an amazing producer, Gonzalo Ruiz de Velasco, saw it, invested in it, and said, “This needs to be a feature.” He became our partner for nine years.

We never planned for that but we just kept following the spark of what excited us. We wrote it and pitched it for six years. And during that time, we truly became sisters. Some studios were very interested, but they didn’t want us to be the actors. Some didn’t even want to give us writing credit. But we kept saying no, because we knew what this story meant. We knew what we had. We had written these characters for us—because they were based on us and our chemistry.

We had “no’s,” we had “maybe’s”… and finally, we got a yes. A private investor in Guadalajara believed in the project, fully understood what the movie was, and gave us full creative control.

Our amazing producer Denise Prieto who I’ve known since high school—was with us from the beginning and always believed in the project. Our incredible director, Mar Novo, came on board just four weeks before we started shooting. And of course, Cristo Fernández we pitched the film to him at the Guadalajara Film Festival, and two days later he said yes.

The shoot was magical. We really got to take it all in. Being a road movie, production came with a lot of challenges we shot for six weeks. Then came two years of post-production. At some point, we ran out of money, so we applied for a grant from LALIFF… and we got it! That helped us finish the film, with the support of some amazing people including post houses that worked on Ted Lasso.

NYFA Alumni Network: What was it like to see the film finally released in theaters and now streaming on Amazon Prime? How has the response been?

V.N: Seeing Las Tres Sisters in theaters was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To see our movie playing next to Captain America and Paddington—and to see people choosing our film was something I’ll never forget.

The response, especially from the Latino community, has been so beautiful. People have come up to us saying they’ve never felt so represented. They laugh out loud, they cry… It’s a comedy with a lot of heart.

We wanted to show Mexico in a beautiful way. So often, we see movies and shows here in the U.S. that only portray the “bad” or “dangerous” parts of our culture. But we are so much more than that. Our people are kind, generous, fun and our country is stunning. We wanted all of that to be the backdrop for this story of three sisters who go back to their roots and have to face their circumstances, and each other.

NYFA AlumnI Network: What did you learn at NYFA that you applied directly to this project and others?

V.N: What I learned from NYFA was how to have a voice in my creativity. Even though it was Acting for Film, we had the chance to create, produce, and even edit. I learned how to be a true collaborator working with people from different cultures, different languages, and finding a way to unite under one vision.

That’s honestly one of the most important skills you need: learning how to collaborate.

NYFA Alumni Network: What advice would you give to current NYFA students who want to create their own work but don’t know where to start?

V.N: Find your tribe—and have fun while doing it.

Every step of the way can be incredibly challenging. There are so many variables. I’ve come to realize that any movie that actually gets made is a miracle—because the amount of things that need to come together is just mind-blowing.

The reason we didn’t burn out completely during these 9 years is because we genuinely enjoyed each other. We enjoyed each other’s company. When we wrote, we would laugh, go deep, and when we were feeling frustrated, we’d talk it out (and yes therapy helped too!).

Then there were the people who fell in love, whether with us or the project and wanted to help. So many people. Sometimes it was an introduction, sometimes just words of wisdom or encouragement. But all of them made the journey so much better.

And truly, knowing that making a movie takes years means you also have to let yourself grow during that time and allow your project to grow with you. We kept changing the script even right before shooting. It kept getting deeper, better because we were growing too.

Have patience. And don’t let the industry side of it all make you bitter. Making movies is a joy. Sharing your talents, your creativity, your voice with the world is a gift. Don’t take that for granted and don’t let the joy be taken out of it. Otherwise, burnout will come.

Always remember why you wanted to do this in the first place and keep reminding yourself of that, every step of the way.

NYFA Alumni Network: What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects or goals you’re excited about?

V.N: We’re really excited that there’s been some interest in turning Las Tres Sisters into a TV show. There’s still so much story left to explore—so once again, we’re following the spark, trusting our intuition, and feeling thrilled about the possibility of bringing these characters and this story into a different medium!

NYFA Alumni Network congratulates Virginia on all her success!