PORTLAND IS SURREAL

March 30, 2007

Everywhere we go in Portland, we see Darius. That's because his picture covers almost the entire front page of The Willamette Week, and this newspaper has boxes everywhere! Yesterday, when Allison was riding the Portland MAX (local transit system), thee people sitting across from her were reading the article ("I had three Dariuses staring back at me. Where was my camera when I needed it?")

We're staying at a five-star hotel here, compliments of the Longbaugh Film Festival, where each room comes with its own iPod. Logan downloaded some of Darius's raps from his iTunes account for all of us to enjoy while here.

Last night, DGW opened the Longbaugh Film Festival, which was a huge honor. We packed the house--or houses. This venue actually had six nicely sized screening rooms, and our documentary showed simultaneously on all of them. Beforehand, food and cocktails were served as part of a Charley's Fund benefit organized by festival director David Walker and Charley's Fund supporter Mindy Leffler from Seattle. It was great to have a chance to mix and mingle with our audience before the show.

Portland audiences made us feel right at home. Maybe that was due to the huge Athens presence in last night's crowd. Diego Kirsch was in town and came to see DGW for the second time. He also helped us sell t-shirts after the show. Clyde, Logan's former co-worker from The Globe, was there. Mary Liedel (her sister, Margie Spalding is from Athens and a big-time DGW supporter) came and even brought groceries to our hotel! Fred Granum was there, too. His brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Doris Granum live in Athens and have been DGW supporters forever.

Allison's twin brother and his wife, Chris and Laurie Firor, flew in from New Mexico to see the film. Also in attendance was Dr. Benji Seckler (Charley's dad), who did an amazing job during the Q&A. DGW's new agent extraordinaire Norm Aladjem and his partner, Andrew Ruf from Paradigm L.A. were there as well--and had a chance to see how well audiences react to our film.

The Q&A was videotaped in one theater so that it could be beamed live to the other five (that was cool). Afterwards, we sold a lot of DGW t-shirts, thanks to David Walker's mom, Bonnie, who wouldn't take no for an answer from anyone!

We have a few new pictures posted, so check them out. Also, here's a link to an interview Kim Voyner did with Logan at AFI/Dallas:

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/03/29/afi-dallas-interview-darius-goes-west-director-logan-smalley/

DGW...Know about it!

A DAY OF TRAVELING, CHILLING, AND MEETING THE PRESS

March 28, 2007

Logan made it to Portland, where David Walker, Longbaugh Film Festival director picked him up at the airport and whisked him off to do a radio interview. When we have the link to that, we'll send it on to you.

The crew in San Francisco spent the day chilling. They have an early morning flight to Portland.

Tomorrow night, DGW is the opening film at Longbaugh. We hope there's a huge turnout, since this is a benefit for Charley's Fund. Charley's dad, Dr. Benjamin Seckler, will be there, as will DGW's new agent, Norm Aladjem from Paradigm L.A.

Here's a link to an amazing article David Walker wrote in the Willamette Weekly (it's like The Flagpole in Athens). If you have a minute, please leave him a comment.
http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3320/8749/

DGW also got another great shout-out from AFI/Dallas, with more to come:

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/03/28/afi-dallas-dispatch-2-more-docs-edward-furlong-and-awesome-an/

DGW...Know about it!

ODDS AND ENDS

March 27, 2007

Lots going on. Here's an update.

The official names for the two awards we won at the Cleveland International Film Festival are:

The Plain Dealer Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film

AND

The Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Film Competition

We're still flying high over these two huge honors and have the fondest memories of the incredible audiences and amazing staff at this awesome festival.

Check out the coverage we got in The Plain Dealer:

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1174984994116020.xml&coll=2

Logan and Allison have (temporarily) gone "Hollywood" at the AFI/Dallas Film Festival, walking the red carpet and even picking up bags of SWAG! Today, Logan did an interview with a reporter from MovieFone who saw our film and loved it. We'll let you know when that's available. Meanwhile, here's a link to another review from AFI/Dallas:

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/03/27/afi-dallas-review-darius-goes-west/

Ben, Sam, Daniel, Jason, and TBarn are having a blast in San Francisco. Yesterday, the Tiburon Film Festival offered them limo-driven tours to Pixar Studios. Last night, Grace and Steve Voorhis invited them back for dinner. Guess what was on the menu? Sushi and, of course, wasabi! Their kids are hilarious--and baby genuises! Today, they walked around Fisherman's Wharf and saw many seals. Tonight, they're watching films at Tiburon, and tomorrow they're taking a tour of Alcatraz.

Tomorrow, Logan and Allison head to Portland to do media for the Longbaugh Film Festival. Here's one review that's already appeared at KATU.com:

http://www.katu.com/news/entertainment/6731946.html

On Thursday, we'll all be together in Portland, where DGW will open the festival (a huge honor) with a big benefit for Charley's Fund. Benjy Seckler (Charley's dad) will join the fun.

DGW...Know about it!

WE ROCK CLEVELAND!

March 25, 2007

DGW had a triple play today with screenings in Cleveland, Tiburon (California), and Dallas. How cool is that?

Logan was at the Cleveland International Film Festival, where he hosted an encore performance of our film. It was a near-capacity crowd, AND the best news: DGW picked up two more awards: Audience Choice and Best Documentary!!! This is an amazing feat, as CIFF is a 31-year-old festival that attracts huge and sophisticated crowds who are passionate about films. Logan was a bit disappointed however, that he was still doing his Q&A when the awards were announced, so he didn't have a chance to thank all the wonderful people in Cleveland (particularly the festival personnel) in his acceptance speech.

Ben, Daniel, Sam, TBarn, and Jason hosted today's screening at the Tiburon Film Festival. THe crowd was smaller than we'd anticipated but very enthusiastic. One person in the audience was a grandmother of some kids who saw the film in Santa Barbara, so word is spreading. Also, UGA alum Susan Clarkson brought several of her friends from San Francisco, and they all treated the crew to lunch after the screening. They've also offered to be our tour guides in San Francisco for the rest of our stay.

Last night, those of us in California had a great meal at the home of Grace and Steve Voorhis. They are executive producers of our film, and Grace appears briefly in it (she's the one who took us to the San Francisco Zoo). Grace is also an awesome cook. We stuffed our faces with Korean barbecue and all the fixings. We also got to wash some clothes at her house (thank goodness).

This weekend was a busy one for Darius as well. Now that he has new "wheels," he was able to go to a party on Saturday night (Kevin and John Harmon dropped him off, then picked him up). He is so proud of the new van!

Logan leaves for AFI/Dallas tomorrow, where DGW has a second screening tomorrow evening. On Thursday, the crew will reunite in Portland, where DGW is the opening film at the Longbaugh Film Festival.

DGW...Know about it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL

March 23, 2007

Most of us (Sam, Ben, Jason, Daniel, and TBarn) are in California for the Tiburon Film Festival. Last night, we attended a festival party and started recruiting people to fill the theater at our one and only screening at the festival on Sunday. Today, we took a little field trip to Muir woods to see the giant redwoods. Tonight, we went to a "Meet the Filmmakers" party and are now headed out to dinner and who knows what else to celebrate Daniel's birthday. Thanks to Lee Epting, Daniel's dad for letting us use his credit card to pay for dinner!

We took some cool pictures in California today and promise to post them soon.

Logan and Allison are chilling in Cleveland--answering e-mails, watching films, and waiting for an encore performance of DGW on Sunday night. If you know anyone in Cleveland, please send them our way...we want to pack the house. Last night, Logan and Allison hung out with many of the great folks who run the festival, including Marcie Goodman (executive director) and Bill Guentzler (artistic director).

In Athens, we had a screening at Barrow Elementary School last night. Collin and Darius did a great job handling the Q&A. We had a good crowd, and our new t'shirts were a huge hit. Check 'em out at our website (www.dariusgoeswest.com).

DGW...know about it!

CLEVELAND ROCKS AND ROLLS

March 21, 2007

Not much to report today. Most of us slept in this morning, then chilled most of the day at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. We were disappointed that R.E.M.'s exhibit wasn't up yet, but still, the museum was really cool. When we got back to the hotel, most of us went for a swim.

In the morning, Jason, Daniel, Tbarn, Ben, and Sam fly to San Francisco for the Tiburon Film Festival. Logan and Allison (aka "the girl") will stay behind in Cleveland for a few days before heading to AFI/Dallas.

Tonight, we plan to hang out with Becky and Lisa, two journalists from a local newspaper called the Cleveland Scene. They wrote an article on their blog about DGW (you can read it at http://www.clevescene.com/blogs/?p=831.

This afternoon, Emily Ingalls, hospitality coordinator for the Cleveland International Film Festival, called and said the festival was picking up the tab on all three of our hotel rooms. Cleveland definitely rocks!

We've been getting tons of e-mail from our Cleveland fans. Keep writing to us, and please also post your comments at our brand new forum at www.dariusgoeswest.com. You'll have to register to post, but it only takes a second.

We'll keep you posted if anything new or exciting happens.

DGW...know about it!

A "SLAM" DUNK IN CLEVELAND

March 20, 2007

We've had another awesome day in Cleveland. This morning, the FilmSlam theater was once again packed with high school students from all over the state. They were a great audience and asked a bunch of really thoughtful questions afterwards. One group, the Drama II class from LaBrae High School in Leavittsburg, OH, traveled for over an hour to see DGW and stuck around for a 45-minute Q & A. They were bright, emotional, and articulate, and we promised to give them a shout out. We also took a picture with them, so watch for it soon.

Later this afternoon, we had our second screening at the regular film festival. The theater wasn't quite as packed as last night's showing, but the audience was equally responsive. Many in the audience were nurses and, based on their comments after the movie, all had a "Darius" in their lives.

One festival volunteer who attended this screening liked the movie so much that she dashed out of the theater while the credits were rolling to buy us all a card. She wrote a really nice message inside and presented the card to the crew after our Q&A. It really meant a lot to us.

The best news of the day: the Cleveland Film Festival has decided to add an encore performance of DGW on Sunday at 7:15 PM, just before closing ceremonies. This is a huge honor, and we hope to pack the house for our grand finale here.

Tomorrow we plan to visit the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and can't wait to see their new R.E.M. exhibit! We'll also be chilling and watching a lot of great movies here.

Be sure to visit the new forum on our website (www.dariusgoeswest.com), where you can chat about all things DGW-related. Thanks to our webmaster, Kelly Rodgers, for getting that up so quickly.

DGW...Know about it!

CLEVELAND ROCKS!

March 19, 2007

Yesterday, while Darius, Collin, Jason, and Daniel were having a blast at the Altanta Motor Speedway (see our new pictures), five of us (Logan, Ben, Sam, John Hadden and Allison Firor) were traveling to Ohio for the Cleveland International Film Festival. We had been hearing so many good things about how well run this festival is and how hospitable the people are here, and we are finding that to be absolutely true.

Last night, for example, Hyla Winston, who is a friend of a cousin of Tracy Seckler (Charley's mom) invited all of us over for a homecooked meal. On our meager budget, we've never been known to turn down a free dinner, so we happily accepted. She went all out for us, and not only was the food incredible (especially the dessert), but we really enjoyed meeting her and her extended family. Yep, Cleveland rocks.

This morning, we had our first screening at what is called FilmSlam, a part of the festival that is geared specifically to teenagers. The theater was packed, and they loved the movie. High school students are always our favorite audience, and this group was no exception. They asked great questions at the Q&A.

We spent most of the afternoon watching other movies, then had our second screening at the regular festival this evening. When we arrived at the theater, we were pleasantly surprised to find a packed house (over 300 people), something we're not accustomed to outside of Athens. By then, Daniel, Jason, and Dylan had joined us. One snafu: Logan forgot the Oprah postcards and wasn't in the theater when he was introduced (oops). But Ben stepped up and did an awesome job. What an incredible audience! When the show was over, we got a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes! And the Q&A was awesome.

We were all wearing our brand-new series (of six) DGW t-shirts tonight, and everyone in Cleveland wants one. We'll be selling them soon on our website (www.dariusgoeswest.com), so if you want one, send us an e-mail (logansmalley@aol.com), and we'll let you know as soon as they're available. All proceeds go to Charley's Fund (www.charleysfund.org) for DMD research.

Tomorrow we have another FilmSlam screening in the morning and another regular festival screening in the evening. We hope the word spreads, and we pack the house again!

DGW...Know about it!

A DAY AT THE RACES

March 18, 2007

A couple of months ago, we got a call from Jennifer Wade, who works in corporate development for NASCAR and is Director of Partnership Development for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, founded by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie Petty, in honor of thier late son Adam. This camp is a year-round facility serving children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering. Anyway, Jen and Pattie spotted our trailer on youtube.com and begged us to send them a copy of Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life to show to their camp staff.

We did, and after watching it, Pattie remarked, "When I saw the documentary that was put together about Darius, I was overwhelmed with emotion. He is a courageous young man and his story will touch the hearts of millions and hopefully help fund research that will eventually result in a cure for Muscular Dystrophy." She and Jen also told us they wanted to meet Darius. In fact, they extended two invitations to Darius and the crew: to spend time this summer at Victory Junction Camp and to attend a NASCAR race. The latter happened today, and you won't believe the events that unfolded...

Darius's day at the Atlanta Motor Speedway began with a BIG surprise. Soon after arriving at the track with Daniel, Jason, and Collin--and well before the race started--Darius was presented with a brand new wheelchair-accessible Dodge Sprinter!!! "Bold capability is a hallmark of the Dodge brand of vehicles and a shared attribute with Darius Weems--a young man with a vibrant spirit," said Mike Accavitti, Director of Dodge Motorsports and SRT Marketing, Chrysler Group. "Dodge is excited to supply the use of a Dodge Sprinter full-size van to accommodate all of Darius's transportation needs."

Mobility Transportation provided the lift device and wheelchair access to the Dodge Sprinter, and Delta Airlines arranged for Daniel to fly to Michigan on Friday to pick up the new van. Dodge has agreed to let us keep these magnificent new wheels for at least a year.

This surprise could not have come at a better time. For years, Darius's sole means of transportation (aside from the bus he takes to and from school) has been the Smalley family's 1994 Dodge high top conversion van, which could only accommodate Darius in his manual chair with the use of some portable ramps. It was a tight squeeze! On Thursday night, several crew members took D to the movies, and on the way home, the Smalley van, with its almost 200,000 miles, broke down. On Friday morning, we learned that it will cost more to fix than it's worth. So, THANK YOU DODGE--and a special shout out to Denise Berecz at Daimler Chrysler for expediting this awesome surprise!

With the Smalley van inoperable, we also realized we had no way to get Darius to the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday without spoiling the surprise. To the rescue: Keith Hargrave of Hargrave Motor Coach, who provided (at cost) a mini-bus with a lift so that Dairus--and his "pimped" chair--could make the trip.

Needless to say, Darius's eyes lit up when he saw the new van. "That's so cool...that's so cool," was all he could manage to say. After the presentation, Darius rolled over to the NASCAR drivers' motorhome lot where he met Richard Petty and got his autorgraph. Next up: a tour of the garage to see all the great cars (and if you've seen the movie, you KNOW how much D loves cars!).

After that, Darius, Collin, Daniel, and Jason were invited to attend the Drivers' Meeting (a huge honor). They next went to Chapel, where Darius shook hands with Chick-fil-A CEO S. Truett Cathy. By then, everyone was starving and headed over to the Dodge bus for a cookout.

After lunch, D was escorted to the "front row" and sat next to Kyle Petty's race car for the national anthem. He stayed near the track for the traditional "Gentlemen, start your engines" call, then headed to the pit stall where he hung around for the first pit stop.

The remainder of the race was spent high atop the track in a luxurious suite, compliments of Sprint Nextel. The food was awesome, and so was the company. After the race was over, Darius got to visit Victory Lane.

We couldn't get permission to film today's events, but Jennifer Wade took lots of photos, which she will send us soon for posting here. Thank you, Jen, Denise, Kyle, Pattie, Dodge, Sprint Nextel, Mobility Transportation, and Delta for making this amazing day possible for Darius. He will never forget all of the excitement, and we will never forget your kindness!

DGW...Know about it.

WE WON IN OMAHA!

March 4, 2008

Despite a blizzard that almost kept us from making it to Omaha, we walked away tonight with TWO awards: Best Documentary (juried award) AND the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary. We are thrilled beyond words!

We've had a blast spinning the wheels on our rental car in the snow (yes, Daniel has been behind the wheel), seeing a lot of great movies, and meeting a lot of great people. Despite the cold, we have one particuarly heartwarming story to share with you. Today, after our second screening (we missed the first one when our flight to Omaha got canceled), we met Phil, who is 10 years old and, like Darius, has DMD. His parents brought him to see the movie, and he and his parents came up to us afterwards to tell us how much they liked it. After the Q&A, we were all starving, so we headed out to the parking lot and grabbed a loaf of bread and some sandwich meat out of the trunk of our car (a makeshift fridge in this weather) to make dinner. Phil and his parents spotted us and said, "Are you kidding?" then took all four of us to an awesome steakhouse for dinner. Thank you, Phil and family!!! (By now, it's probably obvious that we have all forgotten Phil's parents' names, but we will never forget their kindness).

At the award ceremony tonight, we were presented with a box of goodies: trophies, camera equipment, etc. The winning movies are screening again now (to large audiences), after which an SUV limo will be picking us all up and taking us to a post-awards party. Hope we make our plane tomorrow!

DGW...Know about it!

A FOOT OF SNOW IN OMAHA!

March 2, 2007

We were supposed to get to Omaha two days ago, but Mother Nature intervened. Actually, before taking off on Wednesday, we had a chance to give up our seats in exchange for Delta Dollars, so we did it--twice! Our plan: to donate these vouchers to Charley's parents, Tracy and Benjy Seckler, and to DGW co-editor Allison Firor and assistant editor Jarrard Cole so they can all get to some film festivals. Since our first screening wasn't until Thursday evening and we had seats on an early flight out on Thursday morning, we figured everything would work fine. Then came the blizzard. We spent all day Thursday waiting in the airport, but all flights were canceled. The only bright spot of the day: Daniel's mom, Bobbie Epting, who housed us overnight in Atlanta, cooked us an awesome breakfast.

We headed back home mid-afternoon on Thursday with confirmed seats on a 9:00 AM flight this morning. We left for the Atlanta airport in what should have been plenty of time, but we didn't anticipate the horrible traffic. At 8:30 AM, we were still going through airport security and still had to make it all the way to Concourse C for our flight. Lucky for us, a Delta flight attendant was also stuck in traffic, so our plane was delayed.

We are now in Omaha, which is white and flat and COLD! It's great to be here, and we're looking forward to a warm audience at our showing on Sunday at 12:30 PM.

DGW...Know about it!