Olivia Colman and John Lithgow star Jimpa, a film about a trans non-binary teenager who visits his gay grandfather from Sophie Hyde (Good luck, Leo Grande)with Protagonist Pictures launching international sales in Cannes.
Filming continues Jimpa has started its third week in Amsterdam and a first picture can be seen above.
The picture shows Hannah (Colman), a mother, taking her trans non-binary teenager Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) to Amsterdam to visit her gay grandfather Jimpa (Lithgow). But Frances’ desire to stay abroad with Jimpa for a year means Hannah is forced to reconsider her views on child-rearing and finally confront old stories from the past.
Mason-Hyde makes his feature film debut and is accompanied by Daniel Henshall (The Royal Hotel), Kate Box (Erotic stories), Eamon Farren (The Witcher), Cody Fern (American horror story), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (I am a woman), Deborah Kennedy (The Lost Flowers by Alice Hart), Hans Kesting (No. 10), Zoë Love Smith (Too bad, NL), Romana Vrede (I don’t want to dance), Jean Janssens (Campus 12) and Frank Sanders (The rosettes Musical).
The film is the latest from Australian director Hyde, who directed the four-time BAFTA nominee Good luck For you, Leo Grande starring Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack and is also making a film about Oscar Wilde’s wife starring Emilia Clarke.
Protagonist will launch international sales in Cannes and CAA Media Finance, which helped finance the film, will represent North American rights. Jimpa has received major production investment from Screen Australia and Align.
“We see again and again that a special filmmaker with a unique vision creates a film that creates a real breakthrough and touches the audience, just as Sophie did.” Good luck to you, Leo Grandesaid Dave Bishop, CEO of Protagonist. “With Olivia and John rounding out such a talented cast, we know she will do the same Jimpa.”
Jimpa is a production of Closer Films, Mad Ones Films and Viking Film. Major production investments came from Screen Australia and Align, with support from the Netherlands Film Fund and the Netherlands Film Production Incentive. The funding was in collaboration with the Finnish Impact Film Fund, Aurora Studios, Cinéart, the South Australian Film Corporation, the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund and Mind The Gap Film Finance. Further financing came from Kojo, Closer Films and Mad Ones Films. ANZ distribution is by Kismet and The Unquiet Collective, and Cinéart distributes in the Benelux region.