Jill Orschel Documentary Filmmaker

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Jill Orschel combines a passion for film and empathy for her subjects to create documentaries that have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, DOC NYC, SXSW, and more. She’s currently in post-production on her first feature-length documentary, Snowland. The film tells the story of Cora Lee Witt, a woman from a strict polygamous sect who finds freedom and belief in herself through her art.

Thanks to supporters across the world, Snowland just finished its first round of crowdfunding.
This funding will cover the first cut, but we still have a long way to go.

Support now to help bring Cora’s story to the world!

Other Films by Jill Orschel

SISTER WIFE

LIKE A DANCE

Screened at DOC NYC, TEDx and was a finalist at the Ashland Independent Film Festival

Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival

and was a Jury Award-winner at SXSW

BACKUP SINGER

LAKOTA WORKCAMP

Award-winning 16mm short

Featuring the internationally-celebrated PARK88

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS & AWARDS

See more...

THE PLACES YOU'LL GO

Emmy award-winning 16mm short

My documentaries offer complex portraits of people as they are discovering their role in challenging environments. I immerse with my film subjects and take the time to develop relationships built on trust, and then convey that intimacy in style and story.

Jill Orschel’s home has been the mountains of Park City, Utah, for over 30 years. A self-taught photographer since middle school, with a passion for movies even earlier, Jill’s filmmaking journey began in earnest while capturing still images for Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute starting in the mid-90’s when independent cinema was exploding. Her dedication to artful and original storytelling expanded into a calling for the non-fiction form. Jill earned an undergraduate degree in journalism as well as a MFA in film studies, and her award-winning short documentaries have screened at international film festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, DOC NYC and IDFA (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam). Jill is currently in post-production on her first feature length project, Snowland.

Thanks to supporters across the world, Snowland just finished its first round of crowdfunding. This funding will cover the first cut, but we still have a long way to go. Support now to help bring Cora’s story to the world!