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MEET CORA LEE WITT

Our SNOWLAND documentary participant, Cora Lee Witt, was a 14-year-old child bride in a notorious polygamous sect in Utah, known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). After decades, she escaped a painful past by creating Snowland, a magical realm set in another time and dimension. Her artistic endeavor, which includes a self-published book about an enchanted kingdom, and a vast array of original illustrations depicting characters in elaborately designed costumes, became a lifelong metaphorical journey of lost innocence, survival and self-discovery.

Cora's shares the intimate details of her life within the cult. She had twelve children, her sister-wife had nine, and when Cora’s husband and church leaders betrayed her and her children, she boldly alerted the authorities outside of the church. Years passed, but the community, threatened by Cora’s outspokenness, eventually shunned her and evicted the family from their home onto the streets. This marked the juncture where Cora, in an effort to survive amidst so much hardship, began to retreat into a fantasy world of her own creation.​

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ABOUT THE PROJECT

SNOWLAND is a character-driven, longitudinal documentary combining cinema verité and stop-motion animation. Independent filmmaker, Jill Orschel, met Cora Lee Witt over 15 years ago and was entrusted with her deeply personal story. Central to SNOWLAND is the display of grit and resilience that Cora developed as she fought back against abuse and betrayal in the polygamous sect, but also in the decades after she left while she worked so diligently on her Snowland project. The film encompasses many relevant and timely topics that include overcoming trauma, creativity as an agent of transformation, and how wisdom and the perspective it offers, deepens through aging.

Our team of all-female key creatives are honored to be a part of telling Cora’s unique and passionate story. The sketches and colorful drawings of this self-taught artist, juxtaposed with the secretive nature of her religious past, becomes a powerful mirror of her deeply creative state of mind. We believe SNOWLAND is an illuminating documentary that is as original and imaginative as Cora Lee Witt herself.

We are grateful for our generous community of SNOWLAND supporters who have contributed funds to help bring this feature-length film to the screen.

We are aiming for a release date in the Winter of 2025.

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