Darius Weems, a 15-year-old student from Athens, Georgia, who was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), has the kind of joyful laugh that gets other people laughing. After seeing "Darius Goes West," winner of more than 20 film festival awards, it's impossible for audiences to forget his raucous giggles when he swims in the ocean for the first time.
Logan Smalley's first film, "Darius Goes West," is an amazing road trip which takes Darius and his buddies cross-country from Georgia all the way to Los Angeles. The goal was to have MTV's "Pimp My Ride" show re-vamp Darius' wheelchair, but the journey turns into so much more than that. Variety said "Darius Goes West" is "certain to stir hearts."
The film rolls out in fourteen cities beginning September 28 (North Hampton, MA; Waterville, ME; Asheville, NC; Lewisburg, PA; Litchfield, CT; Springfield, MO; Minneapolis, MN; South Burlington, VT; Gettysburg, PA; Durham, NC; Fort Collins, CO; Indianapolis, IN; Columbia, SC; and Columbia, MO).
DMD is the most common fatal genetic disorder to affect children worldwide, and Darius is not the first in his family to be affected. Mario Weems, Darius' brother and Logan's friend, passed away from DMD at age 19. After Darius lost use of his legs and had to begin using a wheelchair, Logan and some of Darius' other college-aged friends decided that there was no need for his quality of life to disintegrate along with his muscles.
In the summer of 2005, they rented a wheelchair accessible RV and took Darius, who had never seen mountains, the ocean or even crossed the state line, on the adventure of a lifetime. They took cameras along for the ride, and the funny, moving and touching result is "Darius Goes West."
We know -- and Darius knows -- that DMD won't be cured in his lifetime. It is 100 percent fatal, with most children dying in their late teens or early twenties. Approximately 1 in 3,500 boys is born with DMD. Nevertheless, Darius took the roadtrip to raise awareness of his disease in the hopes of benefiting those with DMD. Darius proves that life has no limits, even for those in a wheelchair.
Logan Smalley, a 2006 magna cum laude graduate from the University of Georgia with a degree in Special Education, not only directed the film, he also composed the music. He and his friends raised funds for the film selling barbecue and hot dogs, selling movie credits to friends and family and placing piggy banks around Athens, GA. He eventually received grants from United Cerebral Palsy, Children's Wish Foundation International, Emmanuel Episcopal Church and the Turner Foundation.
The proceeds from the film go to an organization called Charley's Fund, which raises money and awareness of DMD in search of a cure.
Learn more at http://www.dariusgoeswest.com and http://www.charleysfund.com.
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