Meet Eliana Cordova

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eliana Cordova.

Hi Eliana, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
Well, I’m a Peruvian actress. When I was 14, I took my first theater workshop, and I fell in love with acting. I finished high school and I wanted to study in the U.S; but, back then, my family was dealing with economic problems, so it was impossible to think about studying abroad. I applied to the best university in my country to study Performing Arts, and I got in and had a scholarship my whole career. However, I really wanted to travel because I felt the need to expand my knowledge, so I started working and saving money. In 2022, after graduating from university, I applied for a summer program at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and I got accepted. Three months turned into a year and I was able to finish the One Year Conservatory Program, which was a life changing experience for me. At the same time, I do believe that as an artist we have many ways to create and keep developing our art, especially if we have the need to tell stories that we really care about. That’s why I’ve begun to develop my career as a film director and screenwriter, and my first short film premiere is coming soon.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not! I arrived here by myself not knowing anyone, and I had to build a life again from zero. Sometimes, dealing with ‘simple things’ can be more challenging when you’re totally alone. You have to adapt yourself to a new way of living and, in my case, in another language, which is kinda tricky because I feel that I started navigating life between two personalities. It’s like there’s an Eliana Spanish version and an Eliana English version, and staying true to myself becomes a challenge. Sounds crazy, but I’m pretty sure many people will understand me. At the same time, unexpected things happen all the time, and you have to learn to be practical and figure it out by yourself to keep going. And, when you feel you want to give up, be stronger, take a deep breath, and believe that everything is gonna be okay and the risk you took is gonna be worth it. I was studying acting and, at the same time, working virtually to finish paying my tuition, rent, food, etc. I remember once I dog-sitter my friend’s dog, and he decided to pay me, and with that, I finished paying my rent that month. I think people who migrate have a lot of stories like that, but at the end of the day, I believe all the effort and struggle make sense. I feel at some point in my journey, I found people who became my friends and made me feel very loved and supported, and it’s nice to have that. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a Peruvian actress and screenwriter. 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 on; and co-produced and wrote with my 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. 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 GoFundMe 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, too, so I’m studying Directing and Production while I’m writing my second short film, where the main topic is mental health.

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
Well, I think I’m someone who has developed the ability to take risks. 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 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 and 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. 

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