It's a documentary that's spawned a movement, and you have the chance to watch it today. Darius Goes West tells the story of a 15 year-old wheelchair bound boy who travels across USA to pimp his wheelchair
It's a documentary that's spawned a movement, and you have the chance to watch it today. Darius Goes West tells the story of a 15 year-old wheelchair bound boy who travels across USA to pimp his wheelchair
"What would you do if you've never been away from home? What would you do if you didn't have much time left? Darius went west!" says the promo for Darius Goes West, a documentary that is scheduled to be screened at The Hub, Bandra this evening.
The film revolves around Darius Weems, a 15 year-old patient of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), an illness characterised by rapid muscular degeneration that eventually leads to loss of control over body functions, and eventual death.
The film skirts melancholia and travels with Darius, a resident of Athens, Georgia on a 7,000-mile cross-country journey from Georgia to Los Angeles, to convince MTV's hit show Pimp My Ride to revamp his wheelchair.
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DMD patient Darius Weems with his friends and documentary crew at their 2005 road trip |
Directed by Logan Smalley, a graduate of Special Education from the University of Georgia, the film has grown into a movement with over 10,000 fans worldwide. Logan and Darius have even appeared on The Today Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "We're still hoping for Oprah to call!" they joke.
It all began when Logan, then 13, met five year-old Darius at a summer camp for children with special needs. Darius was then able to move around and Logan remembers him as a boy who was "shooting baskets with a pretty good lay-up for a five year-old."
Ten years later, when Darius was confined to his wheelchair, Logan came up with the idea of sprucing up his wheelchair.
Their credo was simple. If MTV's Pimp My Ride could makeover "vans and beat up old cars, why not Darius' wheelchair?" So, in the summer of 2005, Darius, Logan and ten more of his college friends took Darius "who'd never seen mountains, the ocean or even crossed a state line" across the country.
Any road trip is fun. Movies about them, even more so. But what makes this 2007 film stand out is that it isn't just a road movie. Through their journey, Darius and his friends end up evaluating facilities for the handicapped across the country, celebrating the 15th anniversary of Americans With Disability Act and raise awareness on DMD.
"We tend to think of documentaries as boring, serious sort of films. But when you see Darius Goes West, you relate to it. It's personable and brings to light a social issue in a very interesting manner," says Alana Rush, social entrepreneur, who describes herself as "an enthusiast of the Darius Goes West movement."
The film is available for free online viewing. Log on to
https://www.dariusgoeswest.org/playitforward for details.
At: The Hub, fourth floor, Candelar Building, 26 St. John Baptist Road, near St Mount Mary Steps,
Bandra (W). From: 7 pm.
Entry: Rs 100 for non-members.
