NewFest and Frameline, the two largest LGBTQ+ film festivals in the USA have jointly announced that Australian film Jimpa will serve as their Opening Night film.
The film will headline the 2025 editions of NewFest Pride and Frameline49, the 49th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, on Thursday, May 29th and Wednesday, June 18th, respectively.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sophie Hyde and starring award-winning actors Olivia Colman and John Lithgow, the drama made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this past January.
Jimpa is an uplifting multi-generational family story in which filmmaker Hannah (Olivia Colman) takes her trans nonbinary teenager Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) to Amsterdam to visit their gay grandfather—lovingly known as “Jimpa” (John Lithgow).
But Frances’ desire to stay with Jimpa for a year abroad means Hannah is forced to reconsider her beliefs about parenting and finally confront old stories about the past. Funny, poignant, and bolstered by a wonderful ensemble cast, JIMPA is described as a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and queer family that looks, with nuance, at just how much has changed in three generations.
David Hatkoff, NewFest Executive Director, said they were thrilled to be presenting the film.
“We are thrilled to be part of this historic moment where both NewFest and Frameline are presenting Jimpa as the opening film for our festivals. This speaks to the power of collaboration and solidarity within our community and is a true testament to the strength of queer storytelling and the importance of uniting in the face of challenges.
“By sharing this groundbreaking film with our audiences, we are not only celebrating the work of Sophie Hyde and her incredible cast but also making a bold statement about the power of collective resilience in the face of adversity.” Hatkoff said.
Allegra Madsen, Frameline Executive Director of Frameline49, said now was the perfect time for a film that showed queer families.
“As we navigate turbulent times, it’s important to reflect on those who came before us. Depictions of queer families, as well as the LGBTQ+ community’s past and present, allow us to envision our future. And queer solidarity, from coast to coast, is crucial for creating the future we want—on and off screen.”
Director Sophie Hyde has shared her enthusiasm about the film being seen at the festivals.
It’s an honour to screen JIMPA as the opening night film of both NewFest Pride and Frameline after our premiere at Sundance at the start of the year. JIMPA was made with a community of creative collaborators, an incredible cast and crew of queer people and allies, from The Netherlands, US, UK, Finland and Australia.
“The stories we tell help us work out who we want to be, and this one is filled with joy, a celebration of queerness told with warmth, humour and love. Now more than ever we must hold onto these feelings and each other, and stand with the LGBTQI+ community and especially the Trans community.” Hyde said.
Hyde’s previous directorial credits include 52 Tuesday, TV series The Hunting, and the Emma Thompson film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.
Alongside big names Colman and Lithgow, the film also stars Aud Mason-Hyde in their feature debut, as well as Daniel Henshall (The Royal Hotel), Kate Box (Erotic Stories), Eamon Farren (The Witcher), Cody Fern (American Horror Story), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (I Am Woman), Deborah Kennedy (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), Hans Kesting (Nr. 10), Zoë Love Smith (Skam NL), Romana Vrede (I Don’t Wanna Dance), Jean Janssens (Campus 12), and Frank Sanders (The Rozettes musical).
