The film has deep roots in Feek’s own story. In the mid-90s, he purchased a 150-year-old farmhouse and came across letters between a Civil War soldier and his wife. Incredibly moved by their love story and longing for one of his own, Feek’s wish was granted when he met and married his late wife Joey (with whom he formed the country duo Joey+Rory). The pair recorded “Josephine,” a song that was loosely based on the Civil War letters and later blossomed into a full-blown screenplay that told both of Feek’s story and that of Josephine, connecting the two tales with a thread of devoted love.
Finding Josephine was filmed in Halifax County, Virginia, in 2015. The film was screened at the 2016 Bentonville Film Festival, as well as 2016 Nashville Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for Tennessee First Feature. The February release marks the first time the film will be made available to a wider audience.