Park City-based filmmaker Jill Orschel, left, and Slamdance Film Festival co-founder Peter Baxter take a moment to smile for the camera during this year’s festival in Los Angeles. Slamdance screened Orschel’s documentary feature “Snowland,” about Cora Lee Witt, a former child bride who esca ped the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint cult, and how she coped with the trauma by creating a fantasy world called “Snowland.” Credit: Photo courtesy of Jill Orschel Park City-based independent filmmaker Jill Orschel is taking a quick intermission from sprinkling the magic of her documentary, “Snowland,” at the Slamdance and DOCUTAH International film festivals. The film, about Cora Lee Witt, a former child bride who escaped the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint cult, screened Feb. 20 and 22 at the 32nd Slamdance festival in Los Angeles and on Feb. 28 at the 17th DOCUTAH festival in St. George. Orschel enjoyed both festivals.  “Slamdance was all about my team and was very supportive of filmmakers, and DOCUTAH was all about supporting Cora and her family,” she said. “I feel the time spent with Cora and her family and the trust that was built let us hold that kind of energy and that kind of curiosity.” Slamdance, which ran in-person Feb. 19-24, was eye-opening for Orschel, who was more familiar with the Sundance Film Festival and its parent nonprofit, the Sundance Institute, through her involvement in filmmaking labs. “Slamdance’s people met with us weeks before the festival as a group, a team and family to build community,” she said. “They met with us and then did break-out groups where they encouraged everyone to get to know one another and gave us tools for us to work together to bring people into the theater.”Many times filmmakers think once their films are done and are selected for festivals, it’s the festivals’ responsibility to do the promotional work. “Nothing can be further from the truth, unless you’re Chloe Zhao or Steven Spielberg,” Orschel said with a laugh. “The message Slamdance gave us from the beginning is, ‘We’re all in this together.”While one Slamdance staffer sent out personal invitations to Orschel’s network, another engaged in social media with other filmmakers.  “One of the things I did the second I got to L.A. was make some ‘Snowland’ swag,” Orschel said. “I put some ‘Snowland’ crystal snowflakes into some cool bags and put our postcards in there. Then I gave them out to everybody I met and invited them to come to our screenings.”Orschel didn’t expect to be that hands-on while promoting “Snowland.” “But it got me out of my comfort level, and I built an audience and community,” she said. Both screenings nearly sold out, Orschel said.  The first took place in the state-of-the-art DGA Theater in West Hollywood.  “DGA is the Director’s Guild of America, and it was such an honor to be there,” Orschel said. “There was some Park City paraphernalia in the lobby of the DGA Theater, and there was a huge poster box where you pin up your posters. It was great to see that there because, in the past, we’ve seen that in Park City on Main Street and the Yarrow Hotel.” The second screening was set in the Landmark Theater. “It was just down the road, and our team couldn’t believe how responsible everyone was in the audiences,” she said. “It was one of those perfect moments for us. It was so satisfying.” Another thing that surprised Orschel was how accessible Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter was even though he oversees the whole festival, which moved to Los Angeles in 2025, after nearly 30 years in Park City. “He was always around and very approachable,” she said. Slamdance staff and audiences enjoyed meeting Orschel and her team. “Whenever I told people we were from Park City, we’d hear, ‘Oh, we miss Park City,’ so I was known as the ‘Park City, full-circle’ girl,” she said. The follow-up comment would always be how costly it got to bring Slamdance to Park City, according to Orschel. “We’d hear ‘It got too expensive for independent filmmakers,’ and I would think that Park City did a disservice to ourselves by not helping out the filmmakers and organizers,” she said. “There’s a misconception about independent filmmaking. The reality is it’s not this money-making machine. It’s culture, creativity and sharing a passion with an audience while making the world a little brighter. That’s something that needs to be supported, not exploited to make a buck out of.” Orschel and her team felt so welcome at Slamdance. “Everyone was given passes and encouraged to attend screenings and go to panel discussions,” she said. Through those discussions, Orschel saw how Slamdance lives on the cutting-edge of addressing issues facing the film industry and independent filmmakers.  “Those issues include film distribution and other challenges for independent filmmakers,” she said. “They also discussed consolidations of media companies, with the latest being HBO and CNN. These were companies that helped independent filmmakers by giving them opportunities.” Online streaming was also another issue addressed during the panels, Orschel said. “Beacuse of that, it’s hard to get over the theater, and I’m included in that,” she said. Still, Orschel felt she was moving forward as an artist and filmmaker. “Slamdance puts you in the position where you can put things out there,” she said. “They see you. They know you have something to offer and here’s a platform. It was amazing.” Slamdance’s mantra has always been a festival “by filmmakers for filmmakers,” and everyone whose films have screened in it since its 1995 inception are considered family. And like every good family, the festival takes care of its members. “They have a fantastic set up,” Orschel said. “As part of that family, you can become a programmer.” Programmers, most of whom have had films screened in the festival, take one duties such as watching and selecting films for the festival’s various categories. They all get equal voices when they debate and “duke” it out for the films they want included in the event. “It’s a big commitment, so I don’t think I’ll have time to do that, but it’s still an opportunity,” Orschel said. Park City-based documentary filmmaker Jill Orschel answers questions about her film “Snowland” during a Q and A at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles. The film also screened at DOCUTAH International Festival in St. George a few days after Slamdance. Credit: Photo courtesy of Jill Orschel Slamdance offered another opportunity that appealed to Orschel. One of the festival’s major sponsors is LUMIX, a line of digital cameras built by Panasonic, which supports the independent filmmaker community through hands-on camera demos, workshops and grants for gear. “They had a booth with tons of cameras and lenses, and I was able to put my hands on all of these cameras,” Orschel said. “The people at the LUMIX booth told me I could apply for a $10,000 grant and a brand-new LUMIX camera with a proposal of your next project.” After working on “Snowland” for 12 years, Orschel began thinking about her next project. “I kind of want to do something leading up to the 2034 Winter Olympics, and I came up with this proposal of making a series of short films about things connected with the spirit of the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics — artists, athletes, venues or the environment,” she said. The proposal was due last Friday. “I hope I get the grant, but if not, I’m still going to do this,” Orschel said about her idea. “I am not going to miss this opportunity.” Right after Slamdance, Orschel took off to St. George for DOCUTAH. “Traditionally a film has a year to a year-and-a-half window, but everything is different now,” she said. “If you choose to go the long-tail route, it can be an engaging thing, and that is a nontraditional way to screen your film. Plus it doesn’t have to be on the big screen, either.”  DOCUTAH was one of those experiences, Orschel said. “It was one of the festivals we applied to, and we heard in December that they chose ‘Snowland’ to be in their lineup,” she said. “We were so excited.” “Snowland” screened in the Megaplex Theatres at Sunset on Feb. 28.   “It was packed,” Orschel said. “Cora and her daughter were there, and people took their pictures. It was a joy to see Cora, who has gone through so much, to get the recognition of being this courageous woman who reinvented her life.” Orschel also enjoyed the post-screening Q and A. “People asked questions left and right, and family members added things while sitting in their seats,” she said. “We were like, ‘All right. We’re doing this.’”  Furthermore, “Snowland” received a Best Music nomination. “Our wonderful composer Connor Cook has been with us for four years, and created the most mesmerizing original score,” Orschel said. “She’s a huge part of our team, and I just love her. I love the fact that she was acknowledged with the nomination.” The next big “Snowland” screening is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, at the Utah Film Center, 375 W. 400 North in Salt Lake City. “The Utah Film Center is our fiscal sponsor, and they have a brand-new theater where they will host a free screening,” Orschel said. “Cora will be there, and we’re excited for that.” A year ago in January, “Snowland” premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Fest in Missoula, Montana, and Park City Film, the locally based arthouse nonprofit, screened it last autumn. Since then Orschel has experienced an abundance of growth as an independent filmmaker, and her team has gone through “plenty of ups and downs and endless memories,” she said.  “I want to thank my family and friends, my film team, participants, audiences, festivals and programmers who believed in us,” she said. “We’re going to continue to reach out to festivals. I’d love to go to a lot of Utah festivals, because I saw first hand at DOCUTAH how interested so many people were interested in Cora and her story.”Orschel hopes the documentary will continue to touch future audiences.  “People who see this — maybe experts of religious cults or domestic abuse — can use it to help others who have experienced those things,” she said. Overall, Orschel hopes people will take time out of their lives to watch the film. “One thing we talked about at Slamdance was people’s attention span,” she said. “It’s a major issue, and so many things are vying for our attention. I’m still a huge believer that films have the power to transport us from all of that and take us to new and interesting worlds. I think ‘Snowland’ does that. For 90 minutes you’re swept up and taken away into Cora’s magic, and I hope people give films on the big screen that chance.”For information about filmmaker Jill Orschel and her documentary ‘Snowland,’ visit jillorschel.com.    The post Park City-based filmmaker enjoying the festival whirlwind with ‘Snowland’ appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less