Eliana Cordova: Director, writer, producer and lead actress of One Minute of Unconsciousness
Sebastian Cordova: Writer and producer of One Minute of Unconsciousness
Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘One Minute of Unconsciousness’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
Eliana: I have always loved filmmaking. I started writing scripts in high school with any intention, it was just a way to put together all my feelings into something. I finished high school and decided to study acting and I started to get more involved with performing arts. But, during the pandemic, my brother started studying different courses of filmmaking and I thought “This is the perfect time to get involved with what I really love: movies”. I mean I love theater but I’m in love with cinema. So, I took a couple of courses with him and we made a short film together with our phones. It was called “Breathe” and was our first experiment. I graduated and moved out to LA to study Method Acting at The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute, where I also took some filmmaking courses. Also, I won a scholarship in CIBEF (MEX) and in Sundance Collab (USA) to keep studying directing, screenwriting and production.
Sebastian: As a cultural manager, I have been able to produce campaigns, workshops and fairs inside and outside my university. One of my first experiences in the audiovisual sector, apart from photography, was during the pandemic as a photography assistant for a virtual theater play. I always had a latent need to want to transmit emotions, capture moments, build aesthetics and narrate experiences. That is why, during the pandemic, I began to take workshops and diplomas related to cinema and thus, I gained experience producing short films at home on my own: “Mother” (2021) and “Chameleon” (2021); and another together with my sister “Breathe” (2021).
Tell us about ‘One Minute of Unconsciousness’. How do you describe it?
Eliana: OMOU is a very special project. It was born from the need to talk about topics that we usually don’t do, and mainly to make people, who are immigrants as well, feel less alone in their journeys. It was a very ambitious project and one of the biggest challenges in my career, but I think it was worth it. My biggest desire is that many people can watch it and feel identified with the story.
Sebastian: I think OMOU is a project with a lot of “feeling and flavor” that questions the ways of representing the Latinx immigrant who “takes risks” in search of better opportunities. It de-idealizes the migratory experience through everyday life; it highlights different types and levels of structural racism, as well as the consequences for physical and mental health that these entail. Ariana, the main character, is not a number, nor is she a story of overcoming; Ariana is all those people who tried and who continue trying. She is real, she is the Latina you ignore in your classes/on the street, the Latina who studies and works (under the table jobs). She is uncertainty and nostalgia, she is struggle and perseverance.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
Eliana: I really like Greta Gerwig, Luca Guadagnino and Steven Spielberg. I love that Greta’s movies are focused on the emotional journey of the characters, realistic dialogue and themes of transition to adulthood. Guadagnino’s movies explore humanity in a very deep way and are very unique. I like that he’s very disruptive. And, Spielberg is just so versatile. He has represented human complexity through so many genres, but at the same time its unique style is always present. I think I just love people who are not afraid to explore humanity in a complex, raw and deep way. I love when movies give a complete point of view of something and not just in a superficial way.
Sebastian: I greatly admire the community cinema of the Chaski group (Peru) and the system of microcinemas they developed to democratize access to culture. I like Latin American Cinema and in general any cinematographic proposal that redefines discourses, empowers marginalized subjects, and uses cinema as an educational, participatory and social transformation tool.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
Eliana: I would love to make coming of age films or series that talk about mental health, sexuality, addictions, traumas, family/love relationships, immigration, identity crisis and/or self-discovery. I would love to make co-productions with other Latin American countries or the U.S, and always have international casts, too. And, I would love to continue exploring drama, and start creating biopics, musicals, based on true events and epoch movies. Ideas are endless but I know my main focus is to keep creating more films which people can feel represented or less alone.
Sebastian: I would love to develop films that narrate the processes of creation and development of cultural organizations and agents. I aspire to be able to record the dynamics and experiences of socialization that are lived in countercultural spaces with subaltern and dissident subjects. On the other hand, I would love to produce a series about the life and struggle of my mother, who, through her teaching, has helped improve the quality of education in my country. We are all experiences and anecdotes, but few are the stories that reach the screen.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
Eliana: I think having a good pre production period is essential. I mean, to contemplate every possible inconvenience. Also, having a strong schedule of rehearsals with the cast. I think character work and script analysis are fundamental. I'm an actress, too, so my approach to film direction starts from there. However, the main thing would be to ensure that you have a good budget. I also think that having in mind who your audience will be and where you expect to distribute the product is essential for making many decisions during pre-production.
Sebastian: I would take the number of years necessary to construct a good script, meet the right creative and logistical minds and obtain the necessary financing. I would wait to establish myself as a present agent in the film industry of my country.
What was the hardest part of making ‘One Minute of Unconsciousness’.
Eliana: A lot of things haha but mainly that this short film is an independent and low budget project. Shooting schedule was very tight, our resources were limited, our crew was very small, etc. My brother and I, we both produced the short film, and we became extremely multi-tasking people. And which was crazier, we did the whole pre-production in Lima, Peru; but all the crew was in LA because the shooting was there. We traveled there for less than a week and then we started postproduction. Fortunately, I used to live in LA, so I have friends who helped us with anything we needed. Of course, these challenges are part of every low budget project but I’m grateful that all the people that worked with us were very committed to the project and that made things easier. We all wanted to tell this story, and all these challenges became opportunities to get more creative.
Sebastian: Obtaining external financing in a limited time frame, I sold almost all my clothes at a flea market to pay for the travel expenses to LA. The urgency of the dates to start festivals led us to come up with, develop and discard creative or management ideas almost daily. I decided to leave university for a semester to be able to dedicate myself 100% to the project because there was no budget to delegate responsibilities: “it's you and me against the world betting on a dream, if we fail we fail together, we learn and we keep trying.” I suppose the hardest thing is to try and take the risk. “Daring to do something new without knowing if you're doing it right” involves recognizing your limits, knowing how to ask for help and being willing to keep trying until you're satisfied with the results.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
Eliana: We just started our festival run and things are going pretty well. We’re gonna announce everything on our Instagram account (@omo.shortfilm). At the same time, I’m preparing everything to go back to LA to study for an MFA in Filmmaking. Also, I'm writing my second short film that I hope I can shoot next year. And, meanwhile, I’m working as a teacher and actress, and studying in different courses.
Sebastian: I’m currently in my second year of Management and Senior Management at PUCP (the best university in my country), and my main priority is to graduate. However, with the knowledge I will acquire, I plan to found a production company with a business model that allows me to create as an artist, produce as a cultural manager, and impact society as a citizen.
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