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Cannes Debut: Trans Slasher Reboot Earns Six-Minute Ovation

5/16/2026

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Summary

Schoenbrun Cannes Ovation

Jane Schoenbrun premiered her film at Cannes 2026, earning a six-minute standing ovation.
The cast features Gillian Anderson as Billy Preston and Hannah Einbinder as Kris, a filmmaker rebooting the 1980s franchise.
Schoenbrun says the movie reflects post-transition sexual trauma while critiquing slasher misogyny and transphobia.
Critics note the film blends academic commentary, vivid visuals, dark humor and a strong supporting cast.

Summary

Schoenbrun Cannes Debut

The film opened the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.
Brad Pitt serves as producer on the Cannes entry.
It holds a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating and an 88 Metacritic score.
Director Jane Schoenbrun, a trans and non-binary artist, earned cult acclaim with the 2024 indie I Saw the TV Glow.
Gillian Anderson noted this was her first Cannes appearance after a long career.

History

Historical Context

When Stephan Elliott’s *The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert* opened in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard in May 1994, its drag road trip earned AU$18.5 million, a 94 % Rotten Tomatoes rating and an Oscar for costume design. That success underlies the 2026 trans-focused slasher reboot produced by Brad Pitt and starring Gillian Anderson, continuing Cannes’s embrace of gender-fluid cinema.

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Schoenbrun Cannes Ovation

Jane Schoenbrun premiered her film at Cannes 2026, earning a six-minute standing ovation.
The cast features Gillian Anderson as Billy Preston and Hannah Einbinder as Kris, a filmmaker rebooting the 1980s franchise.
Schoenbrun says the movie reflects post-transition sexual trauma while critiquing slasher misogyny and transphobia.
Critics note the film blends academic commentary, vivid visuals, dark humor and a strong supporting cast.

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