The author and director of the film "2016: Obama's America" was in Wheeling on Wednesday, speaking to hundreds who wanted to hear what he had to say about the president and the current race for the White House.


About 260 people packed River City to hear what author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza had to say. D'Souza is becoming well-known by those involved in the political world for his documentary on President Barack Obama.

And on the day of the first presidential debate, he introduced himself to the Ohio Valley with a simple message.

"I'm here to talk about Obama's philosophy, his world view and where he is likely to take America if he is reelected for another four years," D'Souza said. "The film is called '2016,' and the reason for that is that it looks forward for the prospects of America for the next four years."

Many who attended the speaking engagement had his book handy and had questions about the film. The documentary is still in theaters, and when asked who saw it, a surprising number of people said they had. The film was produced by Gary Molen, who also produced "Twister" and "Jurrasic Park."

D'Souza said that many people have questions about Obama, the way things are being run and the way things could be better. But he said he's very surprised to see that so many people are intrigued by his work.


"I thought to myself that the American people really don't know Obama and there is a limited number of people who read a book, so if you make a movie, it gets a wider audience," he said.

D'Souza said the documentary looks into Obama's past, explains current actions and describes what could happen if Obama is reelected or not.

He said his speech Wednesday was not intended to swing people to vote for either Obama or Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He added that one thing is certain: He will be watching tonight's first debate between the two main contenders for the White House.