The Accidental Documentarian

Dwight Storring

My journey into documentary work began when I was 12, with a ban. During a Sunday afternoon screening of our family’s latest 8 mm film reel, my mother was moved to action by more than a half-reel of blurry close-ups of flowers and excruciating minutes of an Ontario landscape sailing past the car window. That film was the main record of our family’s summer, and I was promptly forbidden from touching the family movie camera.

I didn’t get my hands on a serious camera again until college six years later, but by then, the instinct was permanent: I learned to read the world through images.

From Newsroom to Feature Films

Since those early days, I’ve dedicated my career to documenting the human story. I spent over 15 years as a photojournalist and photo-editor at The Record in Waterloo Region, Ontario..

This foundation led me into the emerging world of digital media, where I leveraged my skills as a creative director, editor, and developer. As Internet Operations Manager for CityMedia Group and later as a director at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), I learned how to use online technology to support and distribute important work globally.

In 2010, I returned to my roots, shifting my focus entirely to digital media practice and documentary making.

Documenting Personal Narratives

My work now centers entirely on documenting and presenting personal narratives as a window into the life and history of a community. I work in a documentary style, utilizing video, still images, and audio to bring these stories to light.

My two feature-length documentaries showcase this passion for revealing untold regional histories:

  • Anna Kaljas: The Untold Story (2023) tells the story of a remarkable Estonian refugee who came to Canada in 1951 and spent a lifetime caring for people living on the fringe of society.
  • Finding John Lingwood (2018) documents the life and work of a prolific Waterloo Region architect whose work defined the built environment of the Region from the 1950s to the 1980s.

In 2014, I served as Kitchener’s Artist in Residence, where I created Neighbourhood Voices, a series of documentary shorts about the lives of ordinary people in the city.

For details follow this link to his CV.