“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been so interested in telling stories. There is such power in the way we connect to one another through stories.”
Clarissa Cozzoni is a rising star in both Oklahoma and the national entertainment industry. It’s difficult to find something she isn’t doing or learning how to do: She is an Emmy Award-winning actress, producer and director who grew up here in Oklahoma. The 26-year-old is known for her roles in films like Minding Your Business and The Last Apocalypse. She is also working on a pair of documentaries, one in post-production and another in pre-production, demonstrating her versatility as both actor and producer. This fall, she began her first semester of law school at the University of Oklahoma.
“I’ve tried to never limit myself. I want to give myself tools to become a better person in my community. Understanding entertainment law will be a great tool to have as I work in the industry here in Oklahoma. What is so beautiful about work in the entertainment industry is that all of it is so team-oriented; all of it is people coming together to achieve a common goal.”
Cozonni won a regional Heartland Emmy Award for producing the short documentary about the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum entitled “If These Walls Could Talk.” The film was about the role the Myriad Convention Center, Oklahoma Restaurant Association, the Oklahoma Red Cross, and thousands of Oklahomans played in supporting the rescuers and first responders of the 1995 attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The film was released in honor of the 30th anniversary of the bombing.
This summer Cozzoni wrapped filming a documentary—which she both produced and co-directed—about the blood donation crisis in America. “The working title is Miles of Kindness,” she said. “We are hoping to get it out in time for deadCenter Film Festival.”
The second documentary has been five years in the making. “It started as a fundraiser for Jewel Theater, Oklahoma City’s last Black-owned theater. It became a vérité about the theater and revitalization of the entire community and neighborhood. So many other players have come in to help. It surpassed what we thought we would do. The story kept changing in the best way, and we found ourselves needing to go back and get more footage.”
Cozzoni also speaks about the importance of sharing opportunities with others. “My first job out of college was at Prairie Surf Studios; I ran the internship program there. And it taught me to accept any chance I can to connect people. I’m always asking myself about ways I can raise up other young women to be my peers and my colleagues in the entertainment industry.”
She isn’t entirely sure yet what exactly her future holds, but she’s excited about all the possibilities. “I love the poem ‘The Fig Tree’ by Sylvia Plath. It speaks about watching her life branching out before her, and wanting all the branches, all the fruit. I understand,” she laughed. “I want all the figs.”
You can watch Cozzoni’s latest movie (as an actress) in the romantic comedy Minding Your Business, filmed in Tulsa, on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
