Sophie Hyde (director: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande / 52 Tuesdays / Jimpa)

Today I'm joined by SOPHIE HYDE, one of my favorite contemporary Australian filmmakers – director of numerous documentaries, short films, and TV series and feature films such as ‘52 Tuesdays’, ‘Animals’, ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’, and the upcoming ‘Jimpa’ starring Olivia Coleman and John Lithgow and ‘The Ideal Wife’ starring Emilia Clarke. Her filmmaking is deeply collaborative, structurally challenging, and very often transgressive. We’re going to dig into how she developed her unique narrative instincts in this craft-intensive and yet incredibly intimate conversation.

5AM StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.

A BONUS EPISODE, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s bad-ass paid subscribers, is also available via Apple Podcasts or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at Substack⁠: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/new-podcast-episode-q-and-a-director

In it, Sophie discusses a seminal piece of art from his life – the iconic 1975 film THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

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Show notes. Sophie and I discuss the following and much more:

• Her formative years in Adelaide, Australia – especially a theatre group – and why she returned to her hometown to live and work despite how isolating it can be
• The importance of collaborative creation to her over individual expression
• Why she didn’t call herself a director for so long
• The role of structural inventiveness in her films and the importance of narrative limitations/challenges in her work, with a special focus on' 52 Tuesdays' (which was shot over 52 consecutive Tuesdays with an ever-evolving script) and 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' (which essentially takes place in one location with only two characters)
• How she uses her cast to further develop scripts – such as how actors Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack helped shape their characters in 'Good Luck to You'
• How her work focuses on character exploration, bodies and intimacy, and the pursuit of self-defined freedom and identity – such as 'Animals'
• How she used her own family’s experience to craft her upcoming film 'Jimpa' – which stars Olivia Coleman, John Lithgow, and her child Aud Mason-Hyde

Links:

• Learn more about Sophie and her work here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Hyde
• Watch the trailer for '52 Tuesdays' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1flKS0ReLwE
• Watch the trailer for 'Animals' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhus0cJkuz0&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD
• Watch the trailer for 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJcbZoJFLTU&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD
• Listen to Sophie Hyde, Olivia Coleman, John Lithgow, and Aud Mason-Hyde discuss 'Jimpa' here: