Darius Goes West, an award winning documentary, will be shown at the Sottile Theater at the College of Charleston on Thursday, November 17, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:00, admission is free and open to the public. Darius Weems and several of the cast will be in attendance for a Q&A after the film.

Where would you go if you’d never been away from home? What would you do if you didn’t have much time left? DARIUS WENT WEST!

Meet 15-year-old Darius Weems from Athens, Georgia, who was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the most common fatal genetic disorder to affect children worldwide. In 2000, 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 group of Darius’s college-age friends felt there was no need for his quality of life to disintegrate along with his muscles. So, they decided to take Darius, who had never seen a range of mountains, never dipped his toes into an ocean, and never crossed a state line on the adventure of a lifetime. This “band of brothers” rented a wheelchair- accessible RV and hit the road in July of 2005. Their three-week, cross-country journey had one major goal: to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV’s popular show, “Pimp My Ride,” to customize Darius’s wheelchair. Along the way, they evaluated wheelchair accessibility at many of America’s major tourist attractions and raised awareness of DMD by holding over a dozen press conferences. They also found joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.

Darius’ 7,000-plus mile adventure was filmed from start to finish, resulting in a documentary called Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life. It became the most decorated movie of 2007, capturing 28 film festival awards. Critics also gave the movie rave reviews. “Certain to stir hearts,” raved Variety. The Los Angeles Times calls Darius Goes West “Equal parts ‘Animal House’ and ‘Stand by Me,’” adding, “This is a film about the inherent joys and madness of reaching any seemingly impossible goal.” Adds David Walker of DVD Talk, “Darius Goes West is not a depressing disease-of-the-week movie. In fact, if anything, the film is an amazing celebration of life.”

All donations given at the screening are donated to DMD research in hopes of finding treatment or a cure for this disease.

The screening is being hosted by the Higdon Student Leadership Center, in conjunction with the Office of Disability Services, Greek Life, Residence Life and Housing, and Multicultural Student Programs and Services at the College of Charleston.