Darius Goes West:
The Roll of His Life

Darius Goes West follows the story of Darius Weems, a local Athenian who was born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. DMD is the number one genetic killer of children in the world and is 100% fatal. In 1999, Darius watched his beloved older brother Mario pass away from the same disease at age 19. Soon after, Darius lost use of the muscles in his legs and began using a wheelchair.

A few summers ago, a group of Darius’s college-aged friends (mostly from Athens) felt there was no need for his quality of life to disintegrate along with his muscles. So they decided to take Darius on the adventure of a lifetime, renting a wheelchair-accessible RV and traveling cross-country. They set their sights on raising awareness for DMD and the disability rights movement, but their primary goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV’s hit show “Pimp My Ride” to customize Darius’s wheelchair.

Now—after hundreds of hours in editing rooms, praise from critics and audiences across the globe, and life lessons that will last forever—Darius Goes West is the most cumulatively honored film of 2007 (capturing 28 film festival awards worldwide), and a perfect vehicle for this cause. The film engages viewers of all ages and backgrounds with its portrayal of people with disabilities not as victims to be pitied, but as empowered individuals engaging with the world.