Obama documentary sparks voter-registration action at Galaxy Cinema in Cary

Most cinemas aim to fill their seats, but at Galaxy Cinema this Saturday, August 9, the goal will be to empty the seats and take things to the streets.

This weekend, when Galaxy presents the documentary "Senator Barack Goes to Africa," it will also play host to several postfilm activities, including a Q&A session with Obama for America campaign staffers and a voter-registration drive. The event starts at noon on Saturday.

The film, narrated by Barack Obama, chronicles his returns to his family's roots on an emotional journey to Africa -- the vast continent that is gaining increasing importance in this age of globalization. Part personal odyssey and part chronicle of diplomacy in action, this timely documentary follows Senator Obama as he travels to the land of his ancestry. In South Africa we accompany Senator Obama and his wife Michelle on a trip to Robben Island - the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela was jailed for 21 years. At a Darfur refugee camp in Chad, we see, through Obama's eyes, the devastating effects of genocide, and listen in to Senator Obama's discussions with victims of the crisis, U.N. officials, and other aid workers as he explores ways in which the United States can lend support to the victims.

The heart of the film is Obama's emotional homecoming to Kisumu, Kenya - his father's home - where thousands of people turned out to greet him.

"It was completely overwhelming," says Michelle Obama, the Senator's wife. "It's hard to describe unless you were there--to see hundreds and thousands of people lining the streets of this very small town to greet my husband."

Throughout it all, Senator Obama narrates the documentary, lending his own voice to the journey and the significance of Africa to U.S. interests. Additional perspective is proviced through interviews with experts on African affairs as well as with U.S. political commentators.

Tickets for the film, which starts at noon, will be $6.

After the hourlong film, moviegoers can talk with Obama campaign staffers and join in on a voter-registration drive in the Cary area.

To save your seat for this event, visit the myBO Web site.

Future election-related events at the Galaxy include a live presentation of the Democratic National Convention's speech by Sen. Obama on August 28 and a Netroots for the Troops care-package collection and shipment weekend.