Cinema Professor Makes Second Round at Austin Film Festival

Woodbridge (WO) Assistant Professor of English and current graduate student in Emerson College’s MFA in Writing for Film and Television, Kelly Cochran-Yzquierdo, was selected as a Second Rounder in The Austin Film Festival and a Semi-Finalist in the Page Turner Screenplay Competition for her TV Pilot script, Club Drama. Also, Club Drama was selected as a semi-finalist in The Chicago Screenplay Awards earlier this year.

Club Drama synopsis: Imagine if CHEERS and THE L WORD had a kooky dysfunctional baby. Set in the Bible Belt of America after the start of the AIDS epidemic, CLUB DRAMA follows MINA STAR, a washed-up country music performer, as she struggles to keep her lesbian bar afloat, and with the help of a cadre of colorful character, they fight against injustice and hate.

Professor Cochran-Yzquierdo teaches screenwriting in the AFA in Cinema degree program. She feels strongly about the Cinema program and states:

“As a lesbian, coming of age in the 80s and 90s, I have always been part of the “other.” Once I realized that my life experiences and opinions mattered, I gained a voice. A voice once silenced by ideology, discrimination, and hate has become a weapon against a lifetime of inequality. My stories, both lived and imagined, are the narratives that no other can fully capture or duplicate. 

“Film exposes the plight of desperate lives, astounding victories, and heroic journeys, which creates the foundation for the untold narratives. A narrative should not be held hostage by the mere cover of a book. It should leap from the screen (both big and small) and should teach the audience about the human experience. Through embracing my role as writer and instructor, I give birth to the realm of possibilities for creating compelling narratives missing in Hollywood.”

If you would like to read either of her screenplays, please reach out to her directly at kcochran@nvcc.edu.

Submitted by:
Kelly Cochran-Yzquierdo, WO-English Professor, KCochran@nvcc.edu