Focus America
When I Walk
Director
Jason DaSilva
Producers
Alice Cook
Jason DaSilva
Cinematographer
Jason DaSilva
Editors
Alice Cook
Jason DaSilva
Keiko Deguchi
Sound
Tom Paul
Official Film Website
Contact
Passion River Films
+1.732.440.8100x135
[email protected]
2013
United States, Canada
85 min
Color
In 2006, 25-year-old Jason DaSilva was on vacation at the beach with family when, suddenly, he fell down. He couldn’t get back up. His legs had stopped working; his disease could no longer be ignored. Just a few months earlier doctors had told him that he had multiple sclerosis, which could lead to loss of vision and muscle control, as well as a myriad of other complications. Jason tried exercise to help cope, but the problem only worsened. After his dispiriting fall on the beach, he turned to his Mom, who reminded him that, despite his disease, he was still a fortunate kid who had the opportunity to pursue the things he loved most: art and filmmaking. Jason picked up the camera, turned it on his declining body, and set out on a worldwide journey in search of healing, self-discovery, and love. An emotional documentary filled with unexpected moments of humor and joy, When I Walk is a life-affirming film driven by a young man’s determination to survive—and to make sense of a devastating disease through the art of cinema.
Jason DaSilva has been a prolific filmmaker for the past 10 years. He has directed four short films (OLIVIA’S PUZZLE, A SONG FOR DANIEL, TWINS OF MANKALA, and FIRST STEPS) and two feature-length documentary films (LEST WE FORGET and WHEN I WALK). Many of his films have won awards; OLIVIA’S PUZZLE premiered at the 2003 Sundance Festival and qualified for an Academy Award. Three of his films have had national broadcasts on PBS, HBO, and CBC. He also produced Shocking and Awful, a film installation on the anti-Iraq war movement, exhibited at the 2006 Whitney Biennial. Each one of these works advanced Jason’s objective to give voice to those on the periphery of society. In 2006 Jason took a short break from filmmaking to earn his MFA in Applied Media Arts from Emily Carr University.
Other films in Focus America

20 Feet From Stardom

American Dream

American Promise

Buck

Coach

Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing

Everybody Street

Facing Fear

Fruitvale Station

Gideon’s Army

Hacked Circuit

Harlan County USA

Hearts and Minds

Hoop Dreams

How To Survive a Plague

Redemption

Stevie

The Apothecary

The Interrupters

The Overnighters

The Road to Memphis

The Science of Character

The Unknown Known

Venus and Serena

William and the Windmill
Showtimes
No Showtimes