A Work in Progress: The Films of Alexander Payne
February 27–March 1, 2003

On February 25, The Department of Film and Media, The Junior Associates, and the Film and Media Trustee Committee of The Museum of Modern Art join forces to host A Work in Progress, an annual benefit celebrating a distinctive new directorial voice in the art of filmmaking. This year’s honoree is Alexander Payne, the director and coscreenwriter of Citizen Ruth (1996), Election (1999), and About Schmidt (2002). Accompanying the benefit is a special presentation of Payne’s three feature films, as well as a rare screening of his UCLA thesis film, The Passion of Martin (1991).

A press release describing the February 25 event is also available.

Organized by Natalie Hirniak, Manager, Department of Film and Media, and Maggie Lyko, Manager, The Junior Associates. The Department thanks Miramax Films, Paramount Pictures, and New Line Cinema for their generous loan of prints.

The Passion of Martin. 1991. USA. Written and directed by Alexander Payne. With Charles Hayward, Lisa Zane. Payne’s UCLA thesis project about an alienated photographer who instantly falls in love with a woman he sees admiring his work garnered him the kind of industry attention most film students can only pray for. 49 min.
Citizen Ruth. 1996. USA. Directed by Alexander Payne. Screenplay by Payne, Jim Taylor. With Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kurtwood Smith. This satire takes on the abortion debate with reckless courage and carries it to some refreshingly bold places. For Payne the film is an “examination of extremism and fanaticism on both sides of any contentious issue, and of how polarized debate may at times cause us to lose sight of individuals.” 106 min.
Thursday, February 27, 2:00; Saturday, March 1, 1:00

Election. 1999. USA. Directed by Alexander Payne. Screenplay by Payne, Jim Taylor. With Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Campbell. Payne returned to his native Omaha to shoot this, his second feature film. Using a high school setting, he details the frailties of personal agendas and the unsavory impulses that lead people astray. 103 min.
Thursday, February 27, 6:00; Saturday, March 1, 4:00

About Schmidt. 2002. USA. Directed by Alexander Payne. Screenplay by Payne, Jim Taylor. With Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney. Set adrift following his retirement and the sudden death of his wife, and uncertain about both his future and his past, Warren Schmidt packs up his thirty-five-foot Winnebago and sets out on a journey of self-discovery in this darkly comic and illuminating odyssey. 125 min.
Thursday, February 27, 8:00; Friday, February 28, 2:30

top