A new film with a unique perspective on Emma Hale Smith will open in theaters June 1st in Utah. In Emma’s Footsteps examines the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.’s wife after his death, addressing many questions that have lingered.
“If any woman today was left widowed by the violent death of her husband,” said director Brittany Wiscombe, “only to next face huge financial struggles, rumors, and danger from the same people who killed her husband, we would rally around her.” Wiscombe, who also wrote In Emma’s Footsteps, aims to help audiences discover a side of Emma Smith that will make them appreciate the hardships she went through, and the strength she had to endure them.
In 2008, Emma Smith—My Story came to theaters and showed Emma in the midst of her life with Joseph Smith. But much is not commonly known about Emma after that. “I had a filmmaker ask me why I bothered with more on Emma Smith. He said there wasn’t anything left to tell,” Wiscombe said. “But there are people today who think she was weak or wrong because she didn’t move to Utah with the Saints. We don’t fully understand what it was like for her or others back then. We should consider her side of the story and the context of her experiences.”
Wiscombe hopes that new perspective will be a take-away for audiences. “None of us is perfect. We do the best we can in each situation. And if we remember that, about ourselves and about each other, I think we can all be kinder and stronger together.”
The film will also help support the cause of the Joseph Smith, Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society, which is run by descendants of Joseph and Emma Smith. The Historical Society’s purpose lies in helping descendants (many of whom are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) learn correct information about Joseph and Emma, and better understand their heritage. The movie was filmed last August and September at This is the Place Park in Salt Lake City, UT, as well as in Nauvoo, Illinois.
It is being distributed by Candlelight Media Group, the studio behind Singing with Angels, and will show in Utah exclusively at Larry Miller Megaplex theaters.
More information can be found at www.InEmmasFootsteps.com.
