Meet Eliana Cordova

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eliana Cordova and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eliana, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I totally believe in the power of storytelling and I think acting and filmmaking are the perfect place to do that, you know; to tell stories of representation, stories that make social problems visible, stories that give a voice to those who don’t have one, stories that make others feel less alone and more understood, stories that bring us closer as human beings, that make us emotional and become more empathetic. I decided to become an artist because I love to be able to do all of that using my emotions, my body, myself entirely; and of course is not as simple as it sounds but that’s the big challenge. However, I’ve always been very passionate about my career and very persistent when I wanna achieve something.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Peruvian actress, and I’ve been working on different projects in Theater and Film; but lately the project I’m most excited about is my first short film called One Minute of Unconsciousness. It’s a project that I directed and acted in; and co-produced and wrote with my younger brother Sebastian (@cordova41). It’s a bilingual short film shooted in Los Angeles, where the technical and artistic team is composed mainly of young immigrants. It’s a story about identity and migration that portrays the struggle of a young Peruvian woman against alienation, racism, job uncertainty and illegality, economic difficulties, and the mental and physical health consequences that migrating entails. And at the same time, it seeks to empower Latin American artists to explore and carry out audiovisual projects that make social realities visible in an authentic way. Right now, we’re in the distribution stage looking for more funding to be able to send it to as many festivals as we can, so if anyone is interested, you can visit our GoFundMe page (https://gofund.me/02f5c0a1), know more about the project and watch the trailer. Also, we’re gonna be posting news about the short film on our Instagram page @omou.shortfilm because we’re starting our festival tour soon. Besides all of this, there are some acting and filmmaking projects coming up that I still can’t give details about, but I’m very excited that you will soon be able to hear about them through my social media. At the same time, I wanna continue developing my career as a filmmaker so I’m studying Directing and Production, while I’m writing my second short film where the main topic is mental health.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, I’m not a very fancy person and I like simple things, like just enjoy a good time with people I love. So I’d take her to Santa Monica Pier, Malibu and Long Beach for sure because I love the beach. Walking around Venice Beach is nice, too. Also, I’m a foodie person so I love places like In-N-Out, The Cheesecake Factory, Farmer’s Market, Chris N Eddy’s, Insomnia Cookies, Cha Cha Matcha, La La Land, Urth Cafe, Marmalade Cafe, etc. Hiking at Runyon Canyon Park and definitely going to Disneyland, Universal Studios and Warner Bros Studio. Walking over Melrose Ave, Sunset Blvd, The Grove and Rodeo Drive would be in the plan, too. And, of course, party night in West Hollywood would be a must because I love dancing; but before that, pregame with some tequilas. Scum and Villainy Cantina is a great place to do that. Actually, there’re a lot of cool places over Hollywood Blvd to have drinks. Finally, I’d love to watch a musical play at the Pantages Theatre and a good vintage movie at the New Beverly Cinema.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow, I think I can’t choose just one person. In the last couple of years, I’ve been surrounded by many special people who have supported me in many ways. First, my family, especially my mom Diana and brother Sebastian. Many things couldn’t be possible without their support and encouragement so I’m just grateful l can count on them unconditionally. I love them. Then, friends I’ve met here and friends from Peru, they know who they are and how much I love them. And, my mentors, David and Sharon, they trusted me from the first moment they met me and they made me the artist I’m today. And, thank you especially to the whole crew and cast of my first short film: Sebas, María Jimena, Jo, Aayush, Fernanda, Dianna, Valeria, Crismar, Maricielo, Andy, Kevin, Fernan, Amanda, Pecho, Joseph, Diego and Jose. Means a lot to me that all of them trusted the project from the beginning. Also, a big thank you to all the people who have been donating to make it possible.

Website: https://linktr.ee/elianarcr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elianacordova/

Other: Short film One Minute of Unconsciousness page: https://linktr.ee/omoushortfilm