Before Election and Sideways made him an indie darling, Alexander Payne kicked off his career with Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy that ripped into the culture wars with zero mercy. Now Film Forum is bringing back his 1996 debut in a new 4K restoration, running October 30 through November 5.

Laura Dern stars as Ruth Stoops, a drug-addicted woman with four kids already taken away by the state. When she gets pregnant again while locked up, a judge gives her an ultimatum: get an abortion or face a felony charge. What follows is a brutal tug-of-war between pro-life and pro-choice activists, both desperate to use her as a poster child for their cause. Ruth doesn’t care about either side. She just wants to survive.

The film premiered at Sundance in 1996 and introduced Payne’s signature style, sharp satire with uncomfortable truths baked in. Critics at the time loved Dern’s performance, calling her “a revelation” and “weirdly lovable” despite playing someone you probably shouldn’t root for.

Payne went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Election three years later, but Citizen Ruth remains a boldly irreverent first swing. The restoration was handled by IndieCollect, working with Criterion and Paramount. If you missed it the first time around, here’s your chance.

Paweł Pawlikowski is back with another black-and-white stunner. His new film “Fatherland” premieres October 23 at Film Forum in New York, and it’s already racking up serious attention.

The film stars Sandra Hüller (fresh off “Anatomy of a Fall”) as Erika Mann, daughter of legendary author Thomas Mann, played by Hanns Zischler. Set in 1949, they’re driving through a bombed-out Germany after years of exile in the U.S. Mann’s returned as a Nobel Prize winner with celebrity status, but the country he knew is gone. Erika’s coordinating his trip while dealing with her own family trauma, trying to break through her father’s distant facade.

Pawlikowski won Best Director at Cannes for this one. It’s also Poland’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature. If you know his work, the pedigree checks out. “Ida” won the Oscar in 2014, and “Cold War” scored three nominations including Best Director.

The reviews are glowing. Critics are calling it “a perfectly cut jewel” and praising cinematographer Łukasz Żal’s gorgeous monochrome work. At just 82 minutes, Pawlikowski keeps it lean and devastating.

For indie cinema lovers, this is the kind of restrained, visually striking filmmaking that reminds you why arthouse matters. Film Forum’s the place to see it first.

UK tour operator Jet2 is teaming up with Adobe to bring AI-powered personalization to its 10 million customers. The multi-year partnership will use Adobe’s customer experience tech to help travelers plan and book holidays based on their preferences and past trips.

Adobe CX Enterprise Coworker, which uses agentic AI, will let Jet2 staff create personalized offers and recommendations at scale. Customers could see destination ideas tailored to their style, whether they’re looking for family resorts or city breaks, plus curated itineraries once they’re on vacation.

The partnership includes a new Jet2 x Adobe Customer Experience Lab, where Adobe engineers will work directly with Jet2’s digital and tech teams to build AI-powered services. The goal is to match customers with holidays that fit their travel history and what they’re actually looking for.

Jet2 will also use Adobe’s content tools to create on-brand holiday content faster. Adobe Firefly Foundry will build custom AI models using Jet2’s brand assets, while Adobe Brand Intelligence keeps everything consistent across channels.

David Hills, Jet2’s chief customer officer, says the partnership will make every customer interaction more personal and timely while staying true to what sets Jet2 apart.

For indie travel creators and smaller operators, this signals where the industry is headed, AI as the baseline for customer experience, not a luxury feature.

UK travel giant Jet2 is teaming up with Adobe to give its 10 million customers smarter, more personalized holiday planning.

The multi-year partnership will use Adobe’s AI tech to help Jet2 deliver custom vacation recommendations based on each traveler’s preferences and booking history. Think family-friendly resort suggestions or curated daily itineraries while you’re already on vacation.

At the center of it all is Adobe CX Enterprise Coworker, which uses what Adobe calls “agentic AI” to help Jet2 staff quickly build personalized experiences at scale. The system will pull from customer data to send the right offer at the right time, whether that’s a city break idea or a last-minute deal.

Jet2 will also tap Adobe Firefly Foundry to create on-brand content faster, using custom AI models trained on the company’s own assets. That means quicker responses to travel trends and shifting customer demand.

A new Jet2 x Adobe Customer Experience Lab will bring engineers and travel specialists together to test and build new AI services, like better ways to match customers with trips that actually fit their style.

“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do,” says David Hills, Jet2’s chief customer officer. “Working with Adobe will enable us to serve our customers even better, using the power of AI to make every interaction more personal, more relevant, more timely.”

For indie creators and travelers alike, it’s a glimpse at how AI is reshaping the experience economy.

Jet2, the UK’s largest tour operator, is teaming up with Adobe to give its 10 million customers a more personalized way to plan their vacations.

The multi-year partnership will use Adobe’s AI tools to help Jet2 deliver tailored destination ideas, offers, and trip recommendations based on each traveler’s preferences and booking history. Think family-friendly resort suggestions or curated daily itineraries once you’re on the ground.

Adobe CX Enterprise Coworker sits at the center of the deal. It’s agentic AI tech that helps Jet2 teams create on-brand content faster and serve up the right message at the right moment, whether you’re browsing flights or checking into your hotel.

The two companies are also launching a joint Customer Experience Lab, where Adobe engineers and Jet2’s digital team will build and test new AI-powered services. The goal is to match travelers with holidays that actually fit what they’re looking for, not just what’s being pushed that week.

“Customers know they will always receive a VIP experience when they holiday with us,” says David Hills, Jet2’s chief customer officer. “Working with Adobe will enable us to serve our customers even better.”

For indie creators and small studios watching how tech giants flex their tools, this is a peek at how AI is being embedded into consumer-facing platforms at scale.