Las Tres Sisters is a new movie telling a different story about Mexico and Latinas. Latino representation is always lagging behind in Hollywood with few Latinas holding lead roles in films. So, the writers and producers of Las Tres Sisters decided to do something about it.

Marta Méndez Cross, Valeria Maldonado, and Virginia Novello spent years bringing their movie to life. The three actresses and friends knew that if they wanted to take their careers into their own hands, they had to tell the story. For nine years, the three Latina creatives worked on writing, casting, producing, and promoting their film.

Las Tres Sisters is a story of family, Mexico, and Latina joy

Méndez Cross, Maldonado, and Novello wanted to create a story that told a different side of Mexico and its people. Instead of focusing on the typical Hollywood plot of narcos and violence, Las Tres Sisters leans into the beauty and people of Mexico. Audiences get to see the Mexico that Mexicans and Mexican-Americans love and cherish.

The sisters in the film are making a pilgrimage, hoping for a miracle. Their journey takes them six days to complete, and along the way, they encounter strangers who help them. One woman who is also making the pilgrimage gives them shoes. On more than one occasion, they are taken in and given food. The helpful and loving Latino culture we grew up with is on full display in the film.

More than the culture, the three women wanted to give a broader and more encompassing representation of Latinas.

“The three of us came to LA, like many people, with the dream of being actors, and it’s very challenging, obviously. As a Latina, even more so,” Novello said at a Q&A following a film screening. “The three of us have very different experiences of what it means to be a Latina in this industry. We wanted to put that on the screen too. That’s why the three sisters have very different relationships with language and very different relationships with their towns and Mexico.”

The story kept growing as Méndez Cross, Maldonado, and Novello worked on it

“It started as a two-page scene that turned into a short film that turned into a feature film. We followed our spark, really and truly,” Méndez said during the Q&A. “If you follow your spark, you can’t go wrong and when our spark went out, somebody else picked up the light and we just kept going.”

The film was a growing, living project that continued to advance and bring new people to the work. Not only did more people join, but the writers praised how the new people on the project brought their hard work to help wherever needed. This includes Cristo Fernández, who plays Danny Rojas on Ted Lasso.

“We started to talk, and they told me about Las Tres Sisters,” Fernández said about meeting the film’s team to discuss working together. “To make the story short, I loved the script. I am grateful that they gave me the role because I did audition, and after that, I told them that what we are trying to do and produce and tell stories, for me, was something very important to do stuff in Mexico. I am very mexicano from Guadalajara. Even though my work has been known outside [of Mexico], I was born and raised in Guadalajara. I want to tell great stories, and Las Tres Sisters is a great story.”

The cast and crew put in the time and work to bring this story to the big screen despite their obstacles. The end result is a story that shines a glowing light on what makes Mexico and its people so magical. It also gives space for Latinas to feel seen and represented.

Las Tres Sisters is out in theaters on February 21, 2025.

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