Massachusetts-Based Filmmaker Will Begin Filming in Fitchburg, Mass. on July 15

Massachusetts-based independent filmmaker Jennifer Potts will film her latest project, The
Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop, in Fitchburg, Mass., from July 15 through 18, 2017.
Set in 1974 rural New England, this enchanting story moves through the days of Cecily, a
seven-year-old girl who, after the death of her baby sister, lives in a world with no music, no
color, no laughter, no love—that is, until a magical imaginary friend shows up and joins Cecily
on the quest to save her family from the grief that is destroying them. Jennifer Potts wrote the
feature film script The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop in 2014, and this short version is
based on the first 15 pages of the feature film script. This short film will be produced as a proof
of concept to raise funding for the feature film.
In addition to enlisting at least 80 percent of her cast and crew from the New England region,
Potts is also committed to building a crew with at least 50 percent women. Some highlights to
Potts’ crew include Director of Photography Katherine Castro, originally from Boston and now
living in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Co-Producer Erica Hunter of Fairfield, Conn.; Steadycam Operator Lisa
Sene, of Boston, Mass.; Editor and Set Dresser Luisa Pina of Swansea, Mass.; and Gaffer,
Sam Robinson of Erving, Mass. All crew bios are available at
http://www.cecilyblinkstop.com/filmmakers.
Playing the lead role of Cecily Blinkstop is eight-year-old Colbi Gannett of Waterboro, Me. Her
brother, six-year-old Emmett Gannett, also from Waterboro, Me., will play the role of Cecily’s
younger brother, Barney. Six-year-old Molly McCarthy of South Easton, Mass., will make her
film debut in the role of Amanda Jane, Cecily’s magical friend, and Patricia Fitzgerald, a
13-year-old actress from South Yarmouth, Mass., will play the role of Cecily’s older sister, Kim.
Ava Gaudet of Providence, R.I., will play the role of Helen Blinkstop, Cecily’s mother. Will
Bouvier of Shirley, Mass., will play the role of Kevin Blinkstop, Cecily’s father. All cast bios are
available at http://www.cecilyblinkstop.com/cast.
Visit The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop at www.cecilyblinkstop.com, Facebook page:
Cecilyblinkstop, and Twitter handle @cecilyblinkstop.
Jennifer Potts is a Massachusetts-based screenwriter and film director. She is living proof that
life does not need to slow down when you get to the middle. After graduating from Drew
University in 1992 with a BA in Theatre Arts, she co-founded and ran Cornerstone Performing
Arts Center in Fitchburg, Mass., where she oversaw a small non-equity theatre company and
directed multiple productions every year. In 2012, at age 41, Potts returned to school to study
film/video production at Fitchburg State University, where she wrote and directed two short films
and was awarded 2014 Film Student of the Year. In July 2016, Potts received an MFA in Writing
for the Stage and Screen from New Hampshire Institute of Art. Potts’ most recent short film
Charlie & Poppy was selected to screen at 17 film festivals around the world and won two “best
of” awards. Potts’ feature script, The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop , won the grand
prize of the New England Spotlight section of the Rhode Island International Film Festival’s
2016 Screenplay Competition. Potts resides in Fitchburg, Mass., with her husband of 27 years
and has five grown children. www.jenniferpotts.com