Big and Little Films Pty Ltd was incorporated by Michael McMahon and Tony Ayres. Between 1998 and 2009 Michael and Tony positioned the company as one of Australia’s most exciting independent production companies working in feature films, documentaries, and television drama. In that period the company developed and produced a wide range of content which won prestigious awards both in Australia and internationally.
In 2009 Michael and Tony formed Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd www.matchboxpictures.com with 3 other producers. Matchbox Pictures has become one of Australia’s leading production companies has produced many award-winning television drama series, feature films, documentaries, and unscripted television series.
Michael left Matchbox Pictures in 2019 and has been building a slate of projects for Big and Little Films Pty Ltd. He has also been teaching in the tertiary education sector and working with emerging talent in the screen industry.
At Big and Little Films, we believe:
That there are many audiences, and all of them deserve to be respected.
That years of process is as important as minutes of product.
That making something should be an act of generosity.
That filmmakers create culture as well as entertainment, but culture is only transmitted when it is seen.
That in a world of scarcity, a film must be worth the resources it takes to make it.
That you should only work with people you would want to have dinner with.
our team
MICHAEL MCMAHON
MANAGING DIRECTOR | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Michael McMahon is a Melbourne-based lawyer and screen content producer. He was a founder and first Executive Chairman of Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd.
Michael has held a wide range of management and legal positions as well as board appointments, including Screen Tasmania and Film Victoria. He has also held academic positions at the University of South Australia and Swinburne University of Technology, where he is an Adjunct Professor.
He was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Screen Producers Australia in 2018.
VEE SHI
Development Executive
Vee Shi is a filmmaker born and raised in China and is now based in Melbourne. He studied Interior Design and Product Design before pursuing a career in filmmaking and enrolling in the Advanced Diploma of Professional Screenwriting at RMIT, where he was awarded the Erin Thomas Award for Most Enterprising Student. His short films have screened at over 20+ international film festivals. His latest short film Jia was the winning project of AACTA: Pitch Focus competition in association with Sony, and the winner of Best Direction and Best Actor (Sel Hiew) in an Australian Short Film at Flickerfest 2023. Vee was selected for the 2022 Co-Curious' Stories from Another Australia Victoria workshop and the MIFF Accelerator Lab 2023. Vee’s previous position as an Associate Producer was supported by VicScreen’s Key Talent in a Company Placement.