George Ingmire completed a poignant short, titled "Think of Me First as a Person," out of an unfinished film he found, started by his grandfather in 1960. George discovered the audio track first, on an old VHS tape, and later discovered the film and a legal pad with notes for completing "Think of Me First as a Person," as well as reels and reels that George's grandfather had shot since the 1940's, of his family, of friends playing spy games, and silkworms. George's description of the film: "'Think of Me First as a Person' is a loving portrait about raising a child with Down’s Syndrome. The father’s narration lends a remarkable poignancy to this film, as he details his son’s birth, playful nature and eventual need to receive training in an institute far away from home."
Following is an excerpt from letter from Dwight Swanson of National Home Movie Day, who saw the film when it screened here at Zeitgeist last August:
....Good Morning,
Today is one of the happiest days of my career as an archivist because George Ingmire's "Think of Me First as a Person" has been named to the National Film Registry.... After the screening this summer at the Zeitgeist I was so moved by the film that I asked George if I could show it at the Association of Moving Image Archivists' conference in November. My colleagues were so blown away by it that they suggested that we push it for the Registry this year. I am on the National Film Preservation Board, the board that recommends titles to the Librarian of Congress (though ultimately it's up to him to decide), as is a colleague of mine who
has a daughter with autism (so she was a particularly strong backer of the film). We managed to get it screened at the NFPB meeting in November, and then it was shown to the Librarian earlier this month....
see George's website for more info or for screeners:
http://www.miabuelo.com/dwight/index.htm
a story at Daily Press:
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-16293sy0dec29,0,1120792.story?track=rss
3 comments:
I saw this film the other night and was simultaneously moved to tears and filled with energy to live life to the fullest. Not just cuz of the literal beauty of the footage/narrative/and editing but because of the story of how it all came to be. I admire George for so honoring his ancestors. We should all be this steadfast and true.
Congrats George,
I saw the film at Zeitgeist too and it was so unique and personal, very well edited, your forte'. Keep on keepin' on.
Thank you for all the kind words. I hope and plan to show the film sometime in the near future at the Ogden, along with a follow up film that was produced about my uncle today. He's 47 now!
George Ingmire
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