New Orleans filmmaker George Ingmire sent news this week that his uncle Dwight Core, Jr. passed away on Wednesday.  Dwight was the subject, star and heart of “Think of Me First as a Person,” a home movie that was first screened publicly at the 2006 New Orleans Home Movie Day event organized by the late Helen Hill.

The film is a compilation of home movies shot by Dwight, Sr. about his son and his life with Down Syndrome.  As the film’s website says, it “explores perceptions about Down Syndrome from multiple viewpoints: the boy, his sister and the father. The sincere tone and heartwarming narration by the father lends a remarkable poignancy to this film. The story that unfolds within this documentary is sure to shed light on both the struggles and blessings of raising a child with special needs.”

The original 16mm reel was rediscovered in Dwight, Sr.’s film collection by Ingmire, his grandson.  George then finished the film by combining the film and it’s separate narration which was found on a VHS tape in the collection.

Earlier this year a 35mm version of the film was painstakingly created from the original elements.  It is now at the Library of Congress, so will be able to be seen more widely, along with the DVD version that will be for sale very soon.

This article was published this week in Dwight’s local paper (in addition to this obituary) and includes a link to a video story that was produced last year.