Hulu Adds Sundance Selection “Ask Dr. Ruth” To Documentary Lineup
Today Hulu announced that it has acquired 2019 Official Sundance Selection Ask Dr. Ruth to join its growing slate of award-winning documentary films, which includes 2018 Sundance Film Festival selections and critically acclaimed titles Minding the Gap and Crime + Punishment. The film will premiere at Sundance Film Festival, on Hulu and in theaters in 2019, and will receive the widest theatrical release for a Hulu Documentary to date.
Directed by Ryan White (The Keepers, The Case Against 8), Ask Dr. Ruth chronicles the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became America’s most famous sex therapist. With her diminutive frame, thick German accent, and uninhibited approach to sex therapy and education, Dr. Ruth transformed the conversation around sexuality. As she approaches her 90th birthday and shows no signs of slowing down, Ask Dr. Ruth follows Dr. Ruth as she revisits her painful past and unlikely path to a career at the forefront of the sexual revolution.
“I’ve never really stopped to examine my life, so when I first saw Ask Dr. Ruth even I was amazed by what had transpired during my ninety years,” said Dr. Ruth Westheimer. “I am delighted that audiences will be able to share that experience both on Hulu and in movie theaters around the U.S.”
“The remarkable journey that led Dr. Ruth Westheimer to become the cultural icon she is today is a story that demands to be told,” said Hulu’s SVP of Originals, Craig Erwich. “Ask Dr. Ruth tells the untold story of strength, perseverance and the constant quest for knowledge against all odds, and we can’t wait to share this incredible film with audiences.”
“I’ve been filming Dr. Ruth for the past two years and I can barely keep up with her,” said Director Ryan White. “At 90, she’s still a force to be reckoned with. It’s an honor to collaborate on her incredible life story.”
Hulu’s award-winning documentary slate has expanded over the past year to include lauded tentpole documentaries Minding the Gap (winner of this year’s New York Film Critics Circle Best Documentary Award), Crime + Punishment, Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie and Emmy Award-winning March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step. The premium streaming service is also home to a full slate of original documentaries that examine untold stories in pop culture such as the Grammy and Emmy Award-winning film The Beatles: 8 Days A Week – The Touring Years, Too Funny To Fail, Obey Giant, Becoming Bond, Dumb and Batman and Bill.
Ask Dr. Ruth is a Hulu Documentary produced by Delirio Films. White serves as director and producer alongside Rafael Marmor, Christopher Leggett and Jessica Hargrave and executive produced by Peggy Drexler.