SOPHIE HYDE on Moviemaking, Sex and Representation

Australian director Sophie Hyde has utilised the notion of sex as a means to gain self-knowledge in her three feature films.

In her debut feature 52 Tuesdays, sixteen-year-old Billie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) explores her sexual awakening while her parent James (Del Herbert-Jane) goes through gender transition and also finds sex an important expression of grounding himself in his gender. In Animals (adapted from the novel by Emma Jane Unsworth) two women use sexual expression as a way to undermine patriarchal notions about how women should act. The central tension of the film comes when one of the characters, Laura (Holliday Grainger) gets engaged and disappoints her best friend, Tyler (Alia Shawkat) by seemingly succumbing to traditional gender roles. In Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, written by British comedian Katy Brand, sex and the idea of pleasure is focused on how older women, in this case, Nancy (Emma Thompson), have their sexual natures almost obliterated after losing their youth.

Sophie Hyde works not only as director in film and television but also as a producer with her company Closer Productions bringing a variety of stories to life. Nadine Whitney had the opportunity to speak to Sophie about equity and representation on screen in Australia and the international film and television industry.

Nadine Whitney: I will begin with a simple and complex question. What does being seen on screen mean to you?

Sophie Hyde: I think it’s about countering the idea that there is one singular or common experience or way of being. We have seen a fairly narrow vision of the “experience of being human” presented on screen and so it’s simply a desire to expand this to include more perspectives, I think. Part of that might be things that intersect with me and my experience that I may not have seen before.

NW: In your filmic work you concentrate on people in various stages of self-discovery and development. In 52 Tuesdays, James is learning to live as a trans man while his daughter Billie is experimenting with sex and sexuality. In Animals two women meet their thirties and find something different that changes their dynamic. In Good Luck to You, Leo Grande an older woman discovers her own sensual self through a sex worker. What drives you to tell stories that represent those stages of change?

SH: We are constantly in a state of flux, change is the only thing we know for sure will happen. I’ve always loved coming-of-age films and I feel like we come of age over and over again. It’s a search for identity in the way that it intersects with the world and with other people rather than one singular unchanging idea of ourselves, I think. It’s the possibility of us changing and redefining ourselves that can be exciting. We aren’t fixed. I hope we can change, and I find it exciting when people do. I love watching Nancy (in Leo Grande) realise that she can shift how she thinks about the world. A static idea of identity is very stifling.

NW: You have supported the work of documentarian Maya Newell through Closer Productions and have helped bring queer, indigenous, and works highlighting ability to life. How does it feel to assist authentic storytelling from other people?

SH: I’ve worked with Maya Newell across two major projects now (In My Blood It Runs and Gayby Baby) and we are onto our third. I love to be able to support what Maya does, which is work deeply with people to tell their stories, alongside them, and to present those to the world in a way that enables those watching them, to feel deeply and to take action about things that inspire them from those stories.

She works in a way where the people in the films are really co-authoring the work and certainly driving the purpose of it. It’s a very fulfilling thing to be part of and my role in it is a small part of a big team of wonderful people all working together. That’s still the most exciting thing about making, the various people that come together to realise a film and release it and the way the audience can interact with it. So as a director, I need to be consumed in what I’m doing. As a producer I can help enable more stories from more perspectives.

NW: What is it like working between Australia and internationally?

SH: Haha! It means night calls are common and morning calls with the USA mean that my hours are a bit all over the place. I am very lucky that I’ve been able to shoot the last few films in Ireland and the UK and then edit here in Australia. But the uncertainty that comes with moving timelines of being a freelance filmmaker is increased when the projects are always shooting elsewhere. It means juggling potential futures all the time. There are some big cultural differences too. I think the Brits think I’m VERY frank which maybe Australians don’t necessarily think.

NW: What do you think are essential changes the Australian (and international) screen industry must undertake?

As an audience I want more stories from a wider range of perspectives and that means working out who is often excluded from the making of films and TV (or who is side-lined by budget, marketing, acclaim etc) and working out how to ensure those voices, those perspectives are being nurtured and encouraged. Are nurtured and encouraged the right words even? Allowed? Given space? Given resources? Basically, why are people excluded and what can we do about it?

SH: Part of that is paying attention to who is making the things you watch and seeking out perspectives that might be missing. Part of that is championing that in our professional lives. A lot is systematic and that means drawing attention to it, listening to the people excluded and making shifts we can make step by step.