Story perspectives

Schoenbrun's Queer Slasher Wins Cannes Queer Palm

8/6/2026

Summary

Schoenbrun Wins QueerPalm

Jane Schoenbrun released the slasher film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma on August 7, 2026.
The film premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, earned an ovation and won the Queer Palm.
Hannah Einbinder plays Kris, who recruits Gillian Anderson’s final-girl Billy Presley for a queer reboot.
The production filmed in British Columbia, using snow to simulate winter during a summer shoot.
Counting Crows’ “A Long December” plays during the killing sequence.

Summary

Schoenbrun Defies Studios

Agent Sarah Sherman and studio head Dylan Baker say the script is too risky and demand a market-friendly rewrite.
Director Schoenbrun calls the film a “punk-rock French New Wave slasher” that defies studio norms.
Critics say the humor mimics “Horror Twitter” memes, aiming at a discourse-savvy niche instead of general audiences.
Industry analysts expect the polarizing work to land on several December “Best Of” lists despite its style.

History

Historical Context

Eduardo Sánchez, born 1968, co-directed the 1999 horror mockumentary The Blair Witch Project with Daniel Myrick. The film’s unprecedented box-office success for a student-budget production earned Sánchez the inaugural Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award that year, signaling a shift that proved low-cost horror could thrive in the independent market among filmmakers worldwide.

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Schoenbrun Wins QueerPalm

Jane Schoenbrun released the slasher film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma on August 7, 2026.
The film premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, earned an ovation and won the Queer Palm.
Hannah Einbinder plays Kris, who recruits Gillian Anderson’s final-girl Billy Presley for a queer reboot.
The production filmed in British Columbia, using snow to simulate winter during a summer shoot.
Counting Crows’ “A Long December” plays during the killing sequence.

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