On 14 Jan 1997, Bo Williams wrote:

> Mar 1: 
> 8 PM: The Main Event. Ross McElwee will be showing his 1995 film, "Six 
> O'Clock News". He directed "Sherman's March", its 'sequel', "Time 
> Indefinite", "Charleen", and others. McElwee will be there to answer 
> questions afterward. I don't know anything about the film except that 
> it's Ross McElwee, which is all I need to know. Location TBA, although I 
> imagine it'll either be Page Auditorium or Griffith again.

"Six O'Clock News" is technically a 1996 film (though it was in
post-production for a good while); it had its world premiere at Harvard
this past October.  To my knowledge (though, as Calloway knows, I could be
wrong) I don't think it's even been screened in New York yet. 

The film is said to be in the same quasi-autobiographical vein as SM and
TI. From what I've heard, Ross traveled around the country with a camera
and a VCR, each night watching the local tv news and the next day
"inquiring" into what he'd seen the previous night, perhaps by tracking
down fire victims and neighbors of murder victims with his camera.  From
the press kit:  "McElwee--having become a father for the first
time--ponders the odds of dodging catastrophe in a world as threatening as
the one he sees in the six o'clock news."

Those of you familiar with his other films know how promising this sounds. 
Nobody "ponders" on-screen as well as McElwee.  And as good as his films
are, it is an additional treat for him to come back to his native state to
talk about them.  In recent years he has screened "Sherman's March" at
UNC, his Berlin Wall film at the NC Museum of Art, and appeared at an
amazing "McElwee tribute" evening (engineered by our very own GODfrey
Cheshire) last year at the Rialto.  Each time I was left wanting more
Ross. 

Like Bo said, don't miss this.

jr