Arts·Q with Tom Power

Jane Schoenbrun on I Saw the TV Glow, the trans experience and their '90s TV obsessions

The director joins Q's Tom Power to talk about the influences behind their latest film, how it relates to transness and their own experience getting intertwined in TV shows as they grew up.

In a Q interview, the director talks about the influences behind their latest film

Headshot of Jane Schoenbrun.
Jane Schoenbrun's new film I Saw the TV Glow brings together themes of fandom, pop culture obsession and trans identity. (Kristina Bumphrey)

The director Jane Schoenbrun first became known for their 2021 movie We're All Going to the World's Fair, which tapped into a teenaged fascination with the culture of viral memes. Now, Schoenbrun has made a new film called I Saw the TV Glow, which follows two suburban teens who get emotionally enmeshed in a fictional '90s TV show called The Pink Opaque. The result is a moody investigation of identity, growing up and making decisions about who you want to be. Schoenbrun talks to Q's Tom Power about how I Saw the TV Glow relates to transness, why '90s TV has a special place in the film and their own experience getting intertwined in TV shows as they grew up.

WATCH | Official trailer for I Saw the TV Glow:

The full interview with Jane Schoenbrun is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Jane Schoenbrun produced by Lise Hosein.