We recently connected with Eliana Cordova and have shared our conversation below.
Eliana , thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
Well, before I came to the US, like during the pandemic, in the middle of an existential crisis, I realized that I was spending too much time in my comfort zone, and that wasn’t allowing me to grow. I realized fear was paralyzing me so badly, like fear of what people would say, or fear of making the wrong decision, or fear of things going wrong; basically fear of failure; that I think we all struggle with that feeling sometimes. But, it really helped me to embrace the idea that every time I have to make a decision, there is always gonna be something that you’re gonna win and lose; and at the same time that the decision can be the best or worst and there’s gonna be consequences, positive and negative ones. But, you won’t ever know any of this if you don’t try. I started with baby steps, like speaking up, trying new things, but mainly, for me, at that time, getting out of my comfort zone meant making decisions I was so afraid to make and stopping doing things just to please other people but me. I think that really empowered me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a Peruvian actress, and I’ve been working on different projects in Theater, Film and TV; 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 Latin American 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 and not based on clichés. Right now, we’re in the post-production stage looking for more funding to finish it, so if anyone is interested, you can visit our GoFund page (https://gofund.me/02f5c0a1) and 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. Besides all of this, there are some acting 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 networks. At the same time, I want to develop 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 to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Well, I have a phrase I always say: I can do everything, and if I don’t know, I’m a fast learner. When you immigrate to another country, you face a lot of difficulties and challenges. I mean in general, new experiences bring you the opportunity to expand yourself. And sometimes we need to do things we have never done for survival; and for me, having that thought on my mind was very helpful because nobody is gonna believe in me, if I don’t do it first. Sometimes we feel we are too late to keep learning but life is actually an infinite learning path because everything is constantly changing. Apart from that, I’m very persistent, I don’t give up. I’ve received thousands of no’s before one Yes; and yeah, of course, I got sad, sometimes even depressed; but I think I have very clear my goals and that’s my north to keep trying and working. And, finally, I think that I do everything from a place of love and passion. I don’t know if that helps but keeps me motivated and gives me discipline. I believe that when you love something, you respect it and in consequence, you care about it. I think my only advice would be to trust the process, your intuition and your dreams. Sometimes people believe that having dreams or big goals is silly, but it’s only like that if you let people convince you of that.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Allow me to follow my dreams and accomplish goals in the way I want to. Both of them have been very supportive, but especially my mom. She’s always supporting me on any project I do, and I think that’s a privilege I’m really grateful for. She’s taught me to always trust the process and never stop working for the things I want; and that’s why I admire her, her wisdom and strength.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/elianarcr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elianacordova/
- Other: Short film One Minute of Unconsciousness page: https://linktr.ee/omoushortfilm
Image Credit:
Main Photo – Dustin Newhouse – IG: @dustin_newhouse
