Jill Orschel’s award-winning films are full of passion and heart. She gives voice to women from the rural Mountain West and other underrepresented communities. Jill’s close relationship with a mother of twelve within an infamous polygamist sect resulted in the film, Sister Wife, and the beginning of Jill’s trilogy of short docs about women with unique but relatable struggles in their lives. Her work has premiered at Sundance, won jury recognition at SXSW, and screened and won awards at international and regional festivals such as DOC NYC, IDFA, Ashland, Aspen Shortsfest and Rooftop.
     Jill earned a master's degree in film studies from the University of Utah, and a broadcast journalism degree from Colorado State University, and continues to evolve her media-making practices through organizations like the Sundance Institute (Collab), the Flaherty Seminar, Women Make Movies, Creative Capital, and more. Jill is a proud member of the International Documentary Association as well as Film Fatales. She founded and directed the annual Filmmakers Showcase for fifteen years in Park City, Utah which highlights new work by emerging and established filmmakers throughout the state.
     Jill recently wrapped post-production on her debut feature-length documentary, Snowland, about a former child bride and plural wife from southern Utah who creates a fantasy world to heal from the traumatic memories of her past. This character-driven, longitudinal project, starting in 2013, is insightful and rich because of the lasting relationships Jill has formed with her film participants and collaborators.