Lillian Alling: Northern B.C.’s Original Poster Girl
December 3, 2011
The most exciting and satisfying thing about 2011 has been working on my new short LILLIAN CODE. We recently completed postproduction and we’re getting ready to unveil our new baby on the festival circuit in 2012.
Lillian Code is an anachronistic journey into the wilderness of northern British Columbia, inspired by the history and legend of Lillian Alling, the mysterious Russian woman who walked alone from New York to Siberia in 1928.
Lillian Alling has emerged as a popular folklore figure in British Columbia in recent years. She’s been the subject of novels, non fiction, and even an opera. For me the connection goes much further back: I first heard her story told around the campfire at summer camp when I was eight years old. I was inspired to write a short based on that memory when I saw one of the few historical photos that exists from Lillian’s journey: she bears a striking resemblance to my friend and collaborator Orsy Szabó. The casting opportunity was too good to pass up.
I’ll be posting a lot about Lillian Code in the coming months. For now, I encourage everyone to “like” the project on Facebook and follow along as we reveal more of Lillian’s mysterious journey.
Orsy Szabó as plays the title character in LILLIAN CODE.
