Director of Finding Lucinda Joel Fendelman Discusses His Process

Director of Finding Lucinda Joel Fendelman Discusses His Process

Author: The Bluegrass Situation November 10, 2025 Duration: 53:10

In this episode of the podcast, Ismay sits down with 'Finding Lucinda' director Joel Fendelman. They discuss how Joel approached the making of the documentary and concepts like developing the language of a film to build trust with the audience, the artist’s experience of not being where you thought you should be a certain age – including how to constructively confront that – and the idea of trusting others in collaborations. They also talk about how there is overlap in the craft of filmmaking and music-making, including ideas like contrasts and consistency. 

With roots in Miami, Austin, and New York City, Fendelman has written, produced, and directed a number of award-winning narrative and documentary films. An award-winning filmmaker, he is dedicated to telling stories that reveal the underlying connections between us all. His documentary 'Man on Fire' received an IDA Documentary Award and premiered nationally on PBS’s Independent Lens (2018–19 season). He went on to direct 'North Putnam,' which won the Indiana Spotlight Award at the Heartland International Film Festival. In 2016, his short film 'Game Night' premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won Best Super Short at the Savannah Film Festival. His second narrative feature, 'Remittance,' earned multiple festival awards, including Best Actress and Best Screenplay at the Brooklyn Film Festival, and is distributed worldwide. His debut feature, 'David' (2011), won the Ecumenical Prize at the Montreal World Film Festival. His most recent short film, 'The Spiritual Advisor,' is premiering at DOC NYC 2025 and is being distributed by Rolling Stone Films.


Soundtrack out 11/7/25

CD, Vinyl and Download: https://ismay.bandcamp.com/album/finding-lucinda-music-from-the-documentary

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ismay/1340597459

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77sFDwywxshHFqKu6rVXIp?si=xlKBJrMMRFyvU0HYQ_F18Q


Tickets to upcoming screenings in Boston, Brooklyn, Hudson NY, Providence RI and Chicago at www.findinglucinda.com


Watch Finding Lucinda online: https://www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv/film/finding-lucinda/


credits:

Finding Lucinda is Distributed by The Bluegrass Situation

Produced, recorded and mixed by Avery Hellman for Neanderthal Records LLC

Music by ISMAY

Special thanks to: Rose Bush, Liz McBee, Mick Hellman, Jonathan McHugh, Sydney Lane, Jacqueline Sabec, Rosemary Carroll, Lucinda Williams & Tom Overby


There’s a particular magic in the music of Lucinda Williams-raw, honest, and deeply rooted in place. Finding Lucinda, produced by The Bluegrass Situation, isn’t a typical biography. Instead, it’s a parallel journey. We follow singer-songwriter ISMAY, who leaves a family ranch in Northern California feeling full of self-doubt, and drives toward the source: the landscapes of Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee that shaped Lucinda’s iconic sound. This podcast becomes a moving conversation between a fan’s search for meaning and an artist’s hard-won legacy. As ISMAY travels, listeners are right there in the passenger seat for intimate talks with Lucinda’s early collaborators, dusty archive discoveries, and quiet moments in the very studios and dive bars where that timeless music first took shape. It’s about more than fandom; it’s about finding your own voice by tracing the path of another. Through field recordings, personal reflection, and uncovered stories, each episode feels like peeling back a layer of American music history while on a deeply personal road trip. You’ll hear the hum of the highway, the crackle of old tapes, and the connections that make a musical hero feel vividly, inspiringly human.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 15

Finding Lucinda
Podcast Episodes
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Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:05
Ismay travels across Nashville to the Station Inn to meet with legendary folk singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier. This episode of Finding Lucinda is different from those in the past – rather than interviewing a character fr…
Buddy Miller talks Car Wheels on a Gravel Road [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:56
Ismay drives to Nashville to share the incredible never-before-heard tape they found during their road trip journey with friend Buddy Miller. He has been known to have contributed essential parts to Lucinda's breakthroug…
Treasures from the Tape Vault [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:41
In the most exciting moment of the road trip thus far, Ismay hears from interviewee Wolf Stephenson that there's some archival material he wants to share from the concrete tape vault. After sitting on the shelf for 40 ye…
Visiting Malaco Studios [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:52
Ismay travels from Texas to Mississippi, to visit the studio where Lucinda Williams made her first record. There, Ismay interviews Wolf Stephenson, who was the engineer that day in 1978, to learn about what happened duri…
Lucinda's First Guitarist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:22
Ismay travels to Anderson Fair in Houston, Texas, a famed music venue with a unique history that includes legends like Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith. Ismay tracked down a special character from Lucinda's early career, w…
Early & Unexpected Musical Influences [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:20
Ismay uncovers a fascinating seldom heard recording of Lucinda from a radio show in 1981, leading them down a path to discover the musical influences in Lucinda's early Life. Meeting with members of the Grammy Award Winn…