Darius Goes West: The Role of His Life December 1, 2007

"The most popular, most talked about film [of the Cleveland International Film Festival] by far."—Cleveland Plain Dealer

The moving and inspiring documentary Darius Goes West has been winning "audience choice" awards at a dizzying number of film festivals across the country: from Boston to Santa Barbara to Cleveland. It's impossible to be unaffected by the wheelchair-bound Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (the most common fatal genetic disease of children). With his generous spirit and a handful of able-bodied friends (one of whom made this documentary), he sets out in an unreliable van to travel from Georgia to California.

The initial goal is to get Darius's ordinary wheelchair made over on MTV's Pimp My Ride so that he can help educate and entertain his generation (which has little or no idea who Jerry Lewis is). But the trip turns out to be about much more. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer, and you'll leave the theater with the knowledge of how one person can help change the world. (92 mins., video)

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Official Website: http://www.wexarts.org/fv/index.php?eventid=2553