Sophie Hyde- Hot Seat Interview- Jimpa- Director

Writer & director Sophie Hyde has the gift of being a beautiful storyteller. The director is from Adelaide, Australia, but her films are completely universal. She doesn’t just make us laugh or cry, but she genuinely transports us into the lives of others. From the beginning, with her breakthrough independent film 52 Tuesdays, Sophie has had a true talent for telling authentic stories that hit our hearts. That continued with her most popular film, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, which was a revival for the legendary Emma Thompson, and the kind of story that highlights underrepresented characters in cinema. Sophie‘s newest film, Jimpa, is even more vulnerable. It is both a factual and a fictionalized account of Sophie’s family. Olivia Coleman stars, along with Sophie‘s actual child, Aud Mason-Hyde, in their first acting performance. It studies their relationship with their grandpa Jim (played by John Lithgow), capturing the ever-changing lives of three generations, the complexity and courage of being non-binary and transgender, and dealing with love and loss. I was so grateful to speak with Sophie about having the confidence to tell this story, working with her child as an actor, if you have to give notes to Emma Thompson, and turning her set into a family experience. Watch it here: