Meet Emilia Mendieta Córdova | Director of Photography / Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emilia Mendieta Córdova and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emilia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I first started out as a filmmaker I didn’t have a lot of work-life balance because I honestly didn’t see a lot of people around me making that a priority and much less talking about it. Filmmaking seemed to be their whole world so I adopted that and film became my whole world. Sometime in my mid to late twenties though, after I had graduated from grad school and had a very intense couple of years where film was absolutely everything in my life, it kinda clicked that I’d neglected this whole other side of me. I’ve always been interested in a ton of stuff (I’m a classically trained cellist, I was a varsity epee fencer while in college, and I’m an amateur astrophotographer) and a lot of that had fallen through the wayside. I also realized that I hadn’t been as present as I wanted to be in the lives of people around me. So I kinda shifted my priorities a little bit – to take care of myself and to prioritize the people in my life. That shift made my life so much richer.

Since I’ve prioritized work-life balance both my work and my life have become better. And I don’t feel as burn out! I also lost a very dear friend a few years back and looking back on stuff, I’m glad that I was able to make that shift when I did. I have very vivid memories of our friendship that I hold dear and that exist because I made the purposeful choice to make space for them. I’m also of the opinion that as storytellers, if you’re not out there living life in between the stories you’re telling, you lose a lot of texture in the stories you’re telling and their ability to resonate with an audience.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m an active Ecuadorian-American Cinematographer / Director of Photography working in the film industry. I’m mainly based out of LA but have worked in New York, Sacramento, the Bay Area, and Ecuador. I work primarily on narrative feature and short films but I also work a lot in music videos and with commercial/corporate clients. I really enjoy shooting genre projects – particularly sci-fi of all kinds – and my dream job would be to shoot either a TV show or feature film in the Star Wars universe.

I was born in Wichita, Kansas but grew up in Quito, Ecuador. I knew I wanted to pursue filmmaking from a young age but was dead-set on being a director for a long time. I ended up going to college at Vassar College where I double-majored in Film Studies and Chinese studies and quickly after started my journey into directing. That journey was derailed while I was working at a tea start-up in Brooklyn in 2012 as their in-house graphic designer and videographer. They went me down to the amazon to film some content for them when I discovered that what I really loved about filmmaking was actually cinematography. I quickly pivoted by quitting my job and enrolling at the AFI Conservatory’s cinematography program where I got my MFA. I’ve been working as a DP since.

However, my career as a DP hasn’t been an easy or straightforward journey – especially as a Latina woman. And I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from that so far is that sometimes something that feels like a detour can end up being a shortcut if you look at it as an opportunity. I ended up having to take a 9-5 job for a few years in an adjacent field that was looking for a cinematographer (broadcasting/news) and it ended up being a really fantastic opportunity that opened a lot of doors for me, including meeting and collaborating with Mark S. Allen, the Director of my third feature film. What seemed to be a lateral move ended up being an amazing springboard for my career, helping me get where I want to be.

I’m passionate about helping bring impactful stories to life and love collaborating with people who have unique stories to tell. I’ve been really fortunate to work with some wonderful collaborators throughout my career. This includes Charley Young, a musician and fellow filmmaker – we’ve collaborated on over 16 music videos for her music now! We met while we were both undergrads at Vassar and have been working together on projects ever since. It also includes Erika Navarro – an amazing director I had the chance to collaborate with on “Divine Mother” – a short film that sheds light on a topic that rarely gets addressed and that tells that story in such a beautiful and nuanced way. I also want to give a shout out to Sigin Ojulu – a really talented and visionary director that I collaborated with on the sci-fi short “Code_Switch” and some music videos for her music. I hope to continue to work with people whose stories and art inspire me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is more of a chill itinerary for a 3-day trip – most of my friends or people who would visit me are not big partiers! It’s also very food-centric because a lot of my friends love to grab a good meal but here goes:

DAY 1:

1. Start out with brunch at Papille Gustative in Santa Monica and then head out to the Santa Monica pier for a quick walk. I feel the Santa Monica pier is just a really iconic part of the city that is worth taking out-of-towners to.

2. From the pier, drive up the coast on the 1 and visit the Getty Villa.

3. Get back on the 1 and drive up just past Malibu and grab some fish tacos at Neptune’s Net. Grab a window seat or a seat outside watch the surfers across the road on the beach.

4. Head up into the Malibu mountains and grab a glass of wine at Cielo farms. Chill here for a bit. Enjoy the view!

5. Drive back towards LA. Stop for In-N-Out. Doesn’t matter where. You can’t let your guest leave California without having an In-N-Out burger. I think that might be a sin of some sort!

6. Drive down through Hollywood Boulevard at sunset – drive by the Dolby Theater, the Chinese theater, and the walk of fame. It’s pretty with the lights on at night!

DAY 2

1. Coffee first. Grab a coffee from a local coffee shop in LA – there’s so many! I’m partial to Lamill in Silver Lake but there’s a ton of good ones.

2. Hit up a museum. I would suggest either LACMA or The Broad. LACMA is really iconic so I’d probably opt for that if it’s their first time in LA.

3. Grab some Korean food or Thai food. LA has excellent Korean and Thai food. I don’t have a favorite Korean BBQ place (yet! Still exploring!) but for Thai I’m partial to Sanamluang Cafe Hollywood, Thai Patio, and Pattaya Bay Thai. Although if you want some really good Pad Thai off the beaten path – Thai Deli in Boyle Heights is where it’s at. It’s really good and still wallet-friendly. It is pretty much take-out and cash only though.

4. Grab a drink at a local brewery. Golden Road is pretty awesome but I gotta call out my neighborhood again – Benny Boy Brewing in Boyle Heights is great. They have a good selection of beer and cider and a big outdoor space. They bring in rotating local food vendors every night that have delicious offerings. Out on more of the west side, try Three Weavers Brewing in Inglewood – it’s a woman-founded craft brewery with a good vibe!

DAY 3

1. Brunch. Again. Because LA is a city for brunch. I’m gluten-free so I’d suggest hitting up either Modern Bread and Bagel out in Woodland Hills or Honey Hi in Echo Park. Get a breakfast sandwich on their superseed bagel if at Modern or get the avocado toast if at Honey Hi.

2. Go for a walk or a hike. If hiking, hike up through Griffith Park to the observatory. It’s a nice hike up and the observatory is always fun. If going for a walk, Hollywood Forever Cemetery is great. Try catching a movie in some evenings during the summer/early fall!

3. Taco time! Like with In-n-Out, your guest can’t leave without having tacos in LA. I’d recommend Guisados if you want to sit down. I’m partial to the original Boyle Heights location but they have a bunch of locations around town. If you’re looking for tacos coming off a truck – Leo’s Tacos. I used to hit up their truck that parks in a Car wash in Echo Park after yoga with a friend. But you can’t really go wrong with most taco places in LA to be honest. My current favorite taco pop-up is on the corner of Sunset Blvd and Echo Park ave right off the Lassen’s parking lot. They’re open late and their Tacos de Lengua are bomb! Excellent for late-night fare.

Additional stuff you can do:

1. LA has a lot of really good Japanese food. For great sushi I’d recommend Noshi Sushi on Beverly Blvd and for overall great food try Otomisan in Boyle Heights. For a more elevated dining experience, I highly recommend Kodo in the arts district – their sea bream crudo was amazing and they have a killer lychee martini.

2. Catch a movie at one of LA’s iconic movie theaters – that’s always a fun experience!

3. Visit one of the farmer’s markets – I really like the Atwater Village Farmers Market and the Echo Park Farmers Market.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I think that I got to where I am because of the support of a ton of people – my parents, my friends, and my colleagues. It is really hard to single one out!

Website: www.emiliamendieta.com

Instagram: @emi_mendieta

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiliamendieta/

Image Credits
Laura Hunter Drago Ino Yang Popper