Sophie Hyde Reveals The Family Secrets Behind Her New Queer Film For “Australian Story”
Australian Story is lining up a February episode that puts filmmaker Sophie Hyde in focus.
A story that spans generations.
It is a narrative that many of us can appreciate for its bravery and honesty. Sophie Hyde’s father came out as gay when she was just a baby, yet her parents made the unconventional choice to keep living together as a family for the next seven years. Years later, Sophie’s own child, Aud, came out as non-binary. This deeply personal history is the heartbeat of her new film Jimpa, which stars Olivia Colman as a version of Sophie and John Lithgow as her father, Jim
Why Sophie Hyde fits this format.
Hyde has built a career on stories that feel lived-in, not polished to death. She is a founding member of Closer Productions and is also linked with The Unquiet Collective, working across film and television as a writer and director. At DNA, we tend to perk up when a creative’s work is brave in a quiet way, and Hyde’s track record backs that up.
Her credits cover the award-winning 52 Tuesdays, the feature comedy Animals, and the Emma Thompson-led Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, which received multiple nominations at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA stands for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts). She has also made series work including F*!#ing Adelaide and The Hunting (SBS stands for the Special Broadcasting Service).
What the episode is circling.
So what does it look like when a director who often works close to real life becomes the subject of the story? That’s the hook here. The season framing is about people with “amazing stories,” and Hyde’s is timely because her work sits right where art, intimacy, and public conversation tend to collide.
If you want to go deeper.
Hyde has also been discussing her recent film Jimpa, described in interviews as drawing from personal experience and centring a family story. It is the kind of context that can make a profile episode hit harder, especially if you have followed her work for a while.
The episode airs Monday 16 February, just after 8pm, on ABC TV and streams on ABC iview.
