Community conversation to follow ‘Man on Fire’ screening Sunday

Joel Fendelman

ROACHDALE — As the production crew gears up for the making of the documentary “North Putnam,” director Joel Fendelman will be in Roachdale for a screening of his previous film and a conversation with community members.

The screening of “Man on Fire” is set for 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3 at the Roachdale Community Center, 204 N. Indiana St., followed by a community conversation with the filmmaker as well as production team members Anthony Mullis and Beth Benedix and special consultant to the film and president of the North Putnam Alumni Association Neal Knapp.

With Fendelman spending a significant amount of time in the North Putnam community in the next year or two, the event is a chance to meet the man behind the camera, get familiar with his work and to get involved with a film designed to showcase the community.

Benedix had the original idea for “North Putnam” and pitched it to Fendelman when he did a Zoom session with some of her students at DePauw University.

“In some ways, it’s a portrait of the community, but in another way it’s seeing how all the aspects of the community play into each other,” Fendelman said on a recent visit to the community. “Our theory is, you can’t have a great school system but a community where health care and poverty and lack of food exist. Everything is connected with everything.”

During the upcoming visit, Fendelman will also be shooting footage for a sample reel of the film, which will be used to pitch the full idea to studios.

This event is co-hosted by The Castle and the North Putnam Alumni Association and funded by Indiana Humanities.