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.

Fifteen-year-old Darius Weems from Athens, Georgia was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the most common fatal genetic disorder to affect children worldwide. In 2000, Darius watched his 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.

In response to Darius' struggles, a group of his college-age friends rented a wheelchair-accessible RV and hit the road in July of 2005. Their 7,000-plus mile adventure was filmed from start to finish, resulting in the documentary, Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life, which will be screened on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Davis Center's Sugar Maple Ballroom.

The 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 more than a dozen press conferences. They also found joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.

The film 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 proceeds of this movie are donated to DMD research in hopes of finding treatment or a cure for the disease.

Information: Tamara Plummer, tplummer@uvm.edu, (802) 656-2060.