A former child bride from a notorious polygamous cult in Utah escapes her painful past by creating a magical fantasy realm she calls Snowland. Within this artistic endeavor, which spans decades, is a metaphorical journey of lost innocence, survival, and self-discovery.
SNOWLAND is a visually rich, character-driven documentary that invites viewers into the imaginative world of Cora Lee Witt, who broke away from a polygamous sect in Utah and spent decades building a life entirely of her own making. Through a mix of cinema verité and dreamlike stop-motion animation, the film explores how Cora channels solitude, memory, and survival into "Snowland," a deeply personal creative universe where she reclaims her voice and vision. More than a story of escape, SNOWLAND is a testament to the transformative power of art, the resilience of the human spirit, and the quiet, radical act of making something beautiful from the hardest parts of life. Over 12 years in the making, the film is a rare and intimate portrait of a woman determined to shape her own reality.
Jill Orschel is an award-winning independent filmmaker based in Park City whose work highlights the voices of women and underrepresented communities in the rural Mountain West. Her breakout documentary short, SISTER WIFE, about a mother of twelve in an infamous polygamist sect, world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, earned a special jury award at SXSW, and screened across the country and internationally. Jill’s nonfiction work has also premiered at Aspen Shortsfest, DOC NYC, IDFA, the Hamptons Film Festival, and other international and independent festivals. She holds a BA in Journalism from Colorado State University and an MFA in Film Studies from the University of Utah, and she continues to develop her media-making skills through organizations such as the Sundance Institute (Collab) and Women Make Movies. Jill is a proud member of Film Fatales and the International Documentary Association (IDA). She founded and directed the annual Filmmakers Showcase in Park City for fifteen years, showcasing new work by emerging and established filmmakers from across the state. Jill’s feature-length documentary, SNOWLAND, follows a child bride from a cult in Utah as she escapes her dark past by creating a magical fantasy world. Jill ran two successful crowdfunding campaigns and received support, including a Commitment Grant from Mountainfilm. SNOWLAND recently premiered at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Premiere - Slamdance Film Festival, 2026
Mountainfilm Commitment Grant, 2023
Director/Producer/Cinematographer - Jill Orschel
Editor - Susan Metzger
Composer - Connor Cook
Stop-motion Animator - Bridey Bush
Producer - Joanne Feinberg
