Jane Schoenbrun
Occupations
  • Film producer
  • screenwriter
  • film director
Known forWe're All Going to the World's Fair
Awards2021 Future/Now Special Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking at Montclair Film Festival

Jane Flannery Schoenbrun[1] is an American film producer, screenwriter and film director who began working in the film industry in the late 2010s. Prior to their directorial debut in 2018, Schoenbrun produced feature-length fiction films, documentaries, and short films.

Career

Schoenbrun made their[lower-alpha 1] directorial debut in 2018 with the documentary A Self-Induced Hallucination. The film centers the narrative of the fictional horror character and internet phenomenon Slender Man as told through a found footage compilation of existing YouTube videos. Though it used to be available to view on Vimeo, the film has since been removed. Schoenbrun has stated that they do not wish to profit from A Self-Induced Hallucination: "I have no desire to profit from it, or to commodify it in a traditional sense."[2]

Their film We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) was premiered during the online 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows the story of a teenage girl named Casey (Anna Cobb) that joins an "occult online game".[3] The film is inspired and informed by internet aesthetics and trans perspectives: "Steeped in the aesthetics and lore of internet 'creepypasta' horror, World's Fair accurately evokes the eeriness of the deep web, while paying homage to low-budget horror films, most notably Paranormal Activity (2007)... Schoenbrun, themself non-binary, told bitchmedia.org, 'I really did come out to myself in the years I was working on this movie… I'm really proud of the fact that the film is speaking from a trans voice in the middle of that process.'"[4] Schoenbrun's sophomore feature-length film has a major focus on the ways in which humans interact with the internet: "Through Cobb, we take an alarming and up-to-date look into the life of any average contemporary teenager that grows up and establishes a voice mostly online, struggling to close the gap between the real and virtual."[5] The majority of We're All Going to the World's Fair consists of original footage, with the exception of some online videos posted by content creators previously unrelated to the film.

Upcoming projects

Announced in 2021,[6] I Saw the TV Glow is an upcoming horror film directed by Jane Schoenbrun starring Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine.[6] "The film follows two teenage outcasts who bond over their shared love of a scary television show, but the boundary between TV and reality begins to blur after it is mysteriously canceled."[6] Production for I Saw the TV Glow has reportedly been completed.[6]

It has also been announced that Schoenbrun will lead a film adaptation of Nevada: "Schoenbrun is set to write and direct an adaptation of Imogen Binnie’s cult classic Nevada with production scheduled to begin in the eponymous state between March 15 and May 15 of this year. Released in 2013, Nevada is considered a landmark of the trans literary canon..."[7]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Producer Writer Director
2012 Speechless Yes No No
2016 Black Soil, Green Grass Yes No No
2016 Collective, Unconscious Yes Yes No
2016 Swallowed Yes No No
2017 Lovewatch Yes No No
2017 Village People No Yes No
2018 A Self-Induced Hallucination Yes No Yes
2018 Gwilliam's Tips For Turning Tricks Into Treats Yes No No
2019 Tux and Fanny Yes No No
2019 Pots N' Tots Yes No No
2019 Chained for Life Yes No No
2019 Dick Pics! (A Documentary) Yes No No
2019 Laying Out Yes No No
2020 The Starr Sisters Yes No No
2021 We're All Going to the World's Fair No Yes Yes
2023 Girl Internet Show: A Kati Kelli Mixtape Yes No No
2024 I Saw the TV Glow No Yes Yes

Television shows

  • The Eyeslicer, 2017 (ongoing) - co-creator

Music videos

Accolades

Year Festival Title Award Result
2021 Denver International Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair Best Feature Film Nominated
Fantasia Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair Camera Lucida AQCC Award Nominated
Gijón International Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair Best Film Nominated
Indie Memphis Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair Best Narrative Feature Nominated
Montclair Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair Future/Now Special Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking Won
Nashville Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair Grand Jury Prize of Best Graveyard Shift Feature Nominated
Oldenburg Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair German Independence Award/Audience Award for Best Film Nominated
Sundance Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair NEXT Innovator Award Nominated
Warsaw International Film Festival We're All Going to the World's Fair Free Spirit Award Nominated
2022 Gotham Awards We're All Going to the World's Fair Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award Nominated
Indiana Film Journalists Association, US We're All Going to the World's Fair Breakout of the Year Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards We're All Going to the World's Fair Most Promising Filmmaker Nominated
Americana Film Fest We're All Going to the World's Fair Audience Award Nominated

Notes

  1. ↑ Schoenbrun uses they/she pronouns. For consistency, this article uses singular they.

References

  1. ↑ "New year new (legal) name". X. 2024-03-01.
  2. ↑ Schoenbrun, Jane (2018-06-19). "Why I Spent Months Making An Archival Documentary about The Slenderman | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  3. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (2022-04-26). "We're All Going to the World's Fair review – exhilarating gaming-horror mashup". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  4. ↑ "JANE SCHOENBRUN". Sight & Sound. 32 (5): 82. June 2022.
  5. ↑ Laffly, Tomris. "We're All Going to the World's Fair movie review (2022) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kroll, Justin (2021-10-07). "A24 And Emma Stone's Fruit Tree Banner Reunite On Jane Schoenbrun's 'I Saw The TV Glow'". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  7. ↑ Malin, Sean L. (2023-01-18). "Jane Schoenbrun to Direct Adaptation of Imogen Binnie's Nevada". Retrieved 2023-11-04.
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