Kino Lorber Acquires Sophie Hyde's Sundance Standout 'Jimpa', starring Olivia Colman, John Lithgow, & Aud Mason-Hyde, for North America
Following its highly acclaimed Sundance premiere, Sophie Hyde’s Jimpa has landed key distribution deals in North America and the UK, with Kino Lorber picking up the rights for North America and Icon Film Distribution acquiring rights for the UK. The film stars Academy Award® winner Olivia Colman, Emmy® winner John Lithgow, and rising talent Aud Mason-Hyde in a deeply personal, uplifting story of love, conflict, and connection across generations.
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical, digital, and home video release in the US and Canada in early 2026. Icon Film Distribution will be looking to release the film theatrically Q1 2026. The film also secured distribution in other major territories, with Bim picking the film up for Italy, Spentzos for Greece, Nos Audiovisual for Portugal, Golden Scene for Hong Kong and Macao and Forum Film for Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Israel. Kismet will be releasing the film in Australia and New Zealand, where it has just been announced as the Opening Night film at Australia’s prestigious Adelaide Film Festival in October. The Unquiet Collective will head up the impact campaign and non-theatrical release. Cinéart will release in Benelux.
In Jimpa, Hannah (Colman) takes her nonbinary teenager Frances (Hyde) to Amsterdam to visit their gay grandfather Jim (Lithgow) – lovingly known as “Jimpa.” When Frances expresses the desire to stay abroad with Jimpa for a year, Hannah is forced to reconsider her beliefs about parenting and confront long-held stories from her past. This heartfelt, multi-generational family story brims with joy, nuance and authenticity.
The film is directed by Sophie Hyde, whose acclaimed features Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Animals and 52 Tuesdays all premiered at Sundance. Hyde won the Directing Award at the festival in 2014 for 52 Tuesdays. Jimpa was co-written by Hyde and long-time collaborator Matthew Cormack, produced by Liam Heyen, Sophie Hyde, Bryan Mason, and Marleen Slot.
Sophie Hyde noted, “Jimpa is a celebration of family and the wonderful, messy love of a group of people trying to do well by each other. It is a project that examines the stories we tell about our own lives, a love story to parenting and what we learn from our children and our families, and it's made with a lot of love. We are thrilled to be partnering with so many wonderful people dedicated to bringing this film to audiences across the world.”
“We’re delighted to be reunited with Sophie Hyde on the release of Jimpa a dozen years after bringing her narrative feature debut 52 Tuesdays to North American audiences,” said Lisa Schwartz, Chief Distribution & Revenue Officer for Kino Lorber. “Sophie’s commitment to telling stories about queer families that invite diverse audiences to engage, connect and ultimately ignite conversations that build understanding and acceptance is more essential than ever.”
Spencer Pollard, CEO of Icon Film Distribution, commented: “Hot off the heels of an excellent Sundance Premiere, we can’t wait to bring this excellent film to UK and Irish audiences early next year”.
Jimpa is repped in the US by CAA Media Finance, Protagonist Pictures are handling international sales. The deal was negotiated by VP of Acquisitions Karoliina Dwyer for Kino Lorber and by Icon Film Distribution CEO Spencer Pollard.
Jimpa is a Closer Productions, Mad Ones and Viking Film production. Major production investment from Screen Australia and Align with the support of Netherlands Film Fund and the Netherlands Film Production Incentive. Financed in association with The Finnish Impact Film Fund, Aurora Studios, Cinéart, The South Australian Film Corporation, Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund and Mind The Gap Film Finance. Further financing provided by Kojo, Closer Films and Mad Ones Films. Developed with assistance of Screen Australia and the South Australian film Corporation.