Only time will tell whether or not some day the name Nina Vallado will be plastered across Hollywood movie posters, but for now she’s the only one we know of in Berrien County who can say they are a finalist for an Oscar nod. Vallado, you see, is an Andrews University graduate and has been identified as one of only seven finalists from more than 1,600 documentary film entries for the 2017 Student Academy Awards in the documentary film category.
Her film, “Sisterly” was selected as one of those seven finalists, for her unique story. Last May (2017), Vallado graduated magna cum laude from Andrews University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in documentary film. Her senior project, the short documentary called “Sisterly,” talks about Vallado’s relationship with her sister, Lisa, who is on the autism spectrum. It is her story told in her own words.
Nina says, “It’s strange to put into words what it was like growing up with Lisa. She’s my sister, and I loved her, and I interacted with her in the means I knew how, but because there was no verbal communication, I didn’t really know her. She could repeat things she’d been trained to say, such as responses to, “how was your day?” or “what is your favorite color?”, but her interests, her personality, her dreams—they were a mystery to me.”
Vallado says, “Telling our story through film taught me what sisterhood is. Before this I based my idea of what sisterhood should be off of what my mom and her sisters had, or what my friends and their sisters had. But sisterhood is a unique bond that you create with your own sisters.”
The highly regarded Andrews grad continues her story saying, “My sisters, Karen and Lisa, and I have our own special sisterhood. We met Lisa where she was, and it was never the worst thing in the world that Lisa couldn’t speak; we just found things we could do together—things Lisa loved, like puzzles and Memory, and everything Disney. Sisterhood can be complicated, messy or broken, but it’s still sisterhood. And we have always had that.”
Looking back, Nina points out, “Lisa and I have always had connection and intimacy, and now it’s really just a matter of exploring those things. With Lisa’s sudden verbal expression of herself at age 16, we’ve had a breakthrough, and my film kind of gives viewers a glimpse of that, but I’m still searching. The breakthrough wasn’t the end; my film just gave me a place to start, and I haven’t stopped.”
Nina admits she didn’t really have a dream for “Sisterly.” She adds, “That may be sad, but I think I just didn’t want to be disappointed. I submitted it to some small, local film festivals, but none of them accepted it, so I started looking for free festivals, and found the student Oscars. I had nothing to lose. Out of the blue I got an email from them that started with, “Congratulations!” and my first thought was, “What?!” I’d made it into the semi-finals. A month later, I got notification that I’d made it to the finals. I find out in mid-September whether or not my film was selected as a winner, and from there I go to the actual Oscars.”
As Nina continues to reflect on this amazing opportunity, she notes, “There’s a film that came out in 2016 called “Life Animated,” which tells the story of a family of brothers, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. That film had a huge impact on the story I was telling with “Sisterly.” There’s a short scene in the film that talks about the fears and joys of having a brother with autism, and I related to that scene so much. It gave me confidence to continue with the theme of sisterhood in my film. If I could show my film to anyone in the world, I’d want to show it to that family, because their story helped validate my own.”
So…with her potential for a Hollywood trip on the horizon, Nina is still well-grounded telling us, “The Oscars sounds cool—and they are!—but I also look forward to sharing my film in churches and schools, because they’re communities that need a voice for autism. And I’m proud to be able to be that voice on behalf of my sister.”
If you’d like more information about the documentary film program at Andrews University for yourself, you can contact Paul Kim at paulkim@andrews.edu or 269-471-6462.
In the photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market you see Paul Kim, professor of documentary film and chair, Andrews University Department of Visual Art, Communication & Design, with Nina Vallado. Photo credit goes to Jessica Luis Felicio.
