About the Film
“Snowland” tells the fascinating story of Cora Lee Witt, a woman who created a fantasy realm to escape her dark past as a child bride in the secretive, polygamous FLDS sect located in the Short Creek community on the border between Hildale, UT, and Colorado City, AZ. C.Raven’s Snowland is a magical world full of fairies and castles, which allowed Cora to transport herself away from the trauma and dark memories of her abusive marriage as a second wife and find healing and power in her creativity.
Park City-based filmmaker Jill Orschel will share selections from “Snowland” and pull back the curtain on her creative process. We’ll hear about the nine years she spent building a relationship with Cora, uncovering her artistic alter-ego C.Raven, a self-taught craftsperson, painter, costume designer, author, and creator of the Snowland realm, and the work being done to complete the film for a release date later in 2023.
Part of the Made in Utah Film Series. Wine and beer available for purchase.
About Director Jill Orschel:
Jill Orschel is a longtime member of Park City Film and award-winning nonfiction director and producer. Her character-driven documentaries give voice to women from the Intermountain West and other underrepresented communities. Jill’s short, “Sister Wife,” premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, won a special jury award at SXSW, and went on to screen at festivals internationally. Jill earned an MFA in Film Studies from the University of Utah and loves being involved with the independent film community. Jill is a multimedia maker, mentor, as well as the founder and director of Park City Film’s annual Filmmakers Showcase. Now in its 16th year, the showcase highlights new work by emerging and established filmmakers throughout Utah. Jill’s latest project, “Snowland,” is a feature length documentary about a former child bride within an isolated polygamous sect who escapes her dark past by creating a fantasy realm she calls Snowland. The film is slated for completion in 2023.
