Dan Curtis

Dan Curtis

Dan is a personal historian, an award winning documentary filmmaker, adult educator, and certified life coach. He has been a documentary filmmaker for the past two decades and has focused on stories of a personal and intimate nature. Labour of Love, broadcast on CBC’s Witness explored the challenges of family caregiving and was the first place winner of the U.S. National Council on Family Relations media awards. His series for the National Film Board, Bearing Witness, broadcast on the Documentary Channel, looks at the lives of three individuals who are living with a terminal illness.

Author Archives: Dan Curtis

How to Eat an Elephant

I’ve been ruminating. When I was asked to write a post for the APH blog regarding the recent publication of Skills for Personal Historians and Business Tips for Personal Historians—two collections of tips and advice from my former blog about personal history—I had a hard time deciding on what to write. I didn’t want to do a self-promotional piece.… Read More »

Love Always: A Dying Mother’s Legacy

Memories framed on one edge, isolated on a white background

I first met Susan at a woman’s cancer support group where I’d been invited to talk about the value of personal histories.

Susan was nearing the end of a long struggle. She was in her forties, married, with two daughters, 13 and 16. I didn’t need to convince her of the merit of recording a personal history. She was eager to begin.

Susan wanted the girls to know something of her life and she wanted to provide motherly advice on such issues as dating, marriage, and friendship. She asked me to film the special places and moments that were important to her and her daughters.