Alexander Payne's 'Citizen Ruth' 4K Restoration Premieres at Film Forum

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The 1996 satirical comedy features Laura Dern alongside Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place, and Burt Reynolds.

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Alexander Payne 's first feature film, the satirical comedy CITIZEN RUTH (1996), starring Laura Dern , will run at Film Forum from Friday, October 30 to Thursday, November 5 in a new 4K restoration.

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Ruth Stoops (Dern), a poor, drug-addled young woman who's already had four children taken from her by the state, finds herself pregnant again while in jail. When the judge threatens her with a felony charge unless she has an abortion, Ruth is taken in by pro-life activist Gail Stoney ( Mary Kay Place ), and suddenly becomes the reluctant centerpiece of an escalating tug-of-war between pro-choice and pro-life activists, each eager to use her as a message for their cause.

CITIZEN RUTH had its world premiere at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, announcing a striking new dark-comic voice in American cinema. Payne's follow-up, ELECTION (1999), starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick , earned him a Best Screenplay award from the Writers Guild of America and the New York Film Critics Circle, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Directed by Alexander Payne

Written by Alexander Payne , Jim Taylor

Producers: Cary Woods, Cathy Konrad, Andrew Stone, Michael Zimbrich

Starring Laura Dern , Swoosie Kurtz , Kelly Preston , Burt Reynolds , Kurtwood Smith , Mary Kay Place , M.C. Gainey, Kenneth Mars , Tippi Hedren

Cinematography: James Glennon | Editing: Kevin Tent | Music: Rolfe Kent

Approx. 102 min | DCP | Paramount Pictures

The new 4K restoration was made by IndieCollect, in collaboration with The Criterion Collection and Paramount Pictures.

Film Forum's repertory calendar is programmed by Bruce Goldstein, Repertory Artistic Director.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/CITIZEN-RUTH-4K-Restoration-to-Open-at-Film-Forum-20260924)._