Sophie Hyde’s upcoming film Jimpa is deeply personal to the Australian director, as it shines a light on her own family experience.
The film dives into the true story of Sophie’s life as the daughter of a gay man and mother to a non-binary child.
Her father Jim came out to his wife as gay when Sophie was 13 months old, though her family continued to live together for the next seven years.
Later, Sophie was influenced by her upbringing as she realised her child was understanding their place in the world as a non-binary person.
“I can’t believe I showed all of this!” Sophie tells Australian Story.
“I can’t believe how vulnerable we’ve been. I can’t believe I let my family be in all of this.”
Sophie says the gift she was given by her dad was “to show you could live as your full true self in the world and not have to reject parts of your life.”
“My dad has been that person and now my child is as well, and they show us a way to live and be that is very beautiful.”
Sophie’s father Jim is portrayed by John Lithgow, while Sophie herself is played by the one-and-only Olivia Colman. Sophie’s child, Aud Mason-Hyde, is in the film as a younger version of themselves.
“It’s taken a long time for me to be completely open about my family,” Sophie says.
“But the more that you make something a secret, the more shameful it is. The great thing I think about the choices that my family made was to not stay inside those secrets.”
Australian Story’s Out In The Open – Sophie Hyde airs Monday, 16 February on ABC.
Image: Tom Hancock
