Edith Lemay and SĂŠbastien Pelletier first noticed their daughter, Mia, was having vision problems when she was 3 years old. The diagnosis took years to pinpoint but, by the time Mia was 7, they had identified it as retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic condition that causes a loss or decline in vision over time. It skipped their second child, LĂŠo, but both their younger sons, Colin and Laurent, received the same diagnosis. The three children will ultimately lose their eyesight entirely. When The schoolâs vision impairment advisor suggested they fill the childrenâs visual memory by looking at pictures in books, Edith thought, âIâm not going to show her an elephant in a book; Iâm going to take her to see a real elephantâŚAnd Iâm going to fill her memory with the best, most beautiful images I can.â
Thatâs the subject of the beautiful new documentary film BLINK arriving in theaters October 4. As the Canadian-based family began making plans to spend a year traveling around the globe, they canvassed the childrenâs opinions on what they wanted to do â which included swimming with dolphins, horseback riding in Mongolia and watching the sunrise from a mountain -- the bucket list became the familyâs North Star.
As a former resort activity coordinator, Edith Lemay has no shortage of ideas to entertain her little troupe. She is passionate about sunsets and water sports, particularly scuba diving. During the trip, Edith was responsible for the luggage, schooling, meals, and social media. She is rarely seen in photos because she is always behind the camera and will publish a forthcoming book in French about their adventure.
Edmund Stensonâs work as director, producer and editor spans both documentary and fiction and focuses on social issues, loners and nomads. Before directing BLINK, he was an associate editor on the BAFTA- and OscarÂŽ-winner Navalny, a documentary-thriller about the Russian dissidentâs poisoning.Â
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