Liam Heyen
Title
Producer & Partner
Company
Mad Ones Films Pty Ltd
Country (Address)
Australia
Biography
Liam Heyen is a producer and co-founder of Mad Ones Films. His work is dedicated to championing LGBTQI+ stories and filmmakers, with a fast growing slate of film and television projects.
Liam produced the AACTA-nominated anthology series EROTIC STORIES (Lingo Pictures, SBS/ITV Studios) and the acclaimed series LATECOMERS (SBS/CBC/ARTE), which screened in Official Competition at Series Mania 2023 and won multiple awards, including an AACTA and a Screen Producers Award, as well as the SDIN award for its "groundbreaking portrayal of the cerebral palsy experience".
His short film credits include ADULT (SXSW 2017), YOU AND ME BEFORE AND AFTER (TIFF 2021), STRANGERS (Iris Prize), VOICE ACTIVATED (Tribeca 2023) and the upcoming INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Vanessa Gazy.
He began his career at Goalpost Pictures, and was on the producing teams of: I AM WOMAN (TIFF 2019), CLEVERMAN (Berlinale 2016), TOP END WEDDING (Sundance 2019), and NEW GOLD MOUNTAIN. He is a graduate of AFTRS and Griffith Film School.
In 2024 Liam produced JIMPA, directed by Sophie Hyde and starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow, which premiered at Sundance 2025 and is due for a theatrical release later this year.
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SCRIPTED TELEVISION | FEATURE FILMS
In the feature space, we are seeking titles that blend genre with grounded human drama. We are also looking for bold and distinct auteur-driven projects.
In the television space, we are looking for series with returning potential. We are specifically looking for ensemble dramas, which explore the dynamics underpinning friendships, family or the workplace. We are interested in diverse stories, and in series appealing to the 20-40 demographic.
We are open to partnering with established production companies to co-produce television.
We are interested in exploring gaps in television programming, as well as models for funding development.
Liam produced the AACTA-nominated anthology series EROTIC STORIES (Lingo Pictures, SBS/ITV Studios) and the acclaimed series LATECOMERS (SBS/CBC/ARTE), which screened in Official Competition at Series Mania 2023 and won multiple awards, including an AACTA and a Screen Producers Award, as well as the SDIN award for its "groundbreaking portrayal of the cerebral palsy experience".
His short film credits include ADULT (SXSW 2017), YOU AND ME BEFORE AND AFTER (TIFF 2021), STRANGERS (Iris Prize), VOICE ACTIVATED (Tribeca 2023) and the upcoming INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Vanessa Gazy.
He began his career at Goalpost Pictures, and was on the producing teams of: I AM WOMAN (TIFF 2019), CLEVERMAN (Berlinale 2016), TOP END WEDDING (Sundance 2019), and NEW GOLD MOUNTAIN. He is a graduate of AFTRS and Griffith Film School.
In 2024 Liam produced JIMPA, directed by Sophie Hyde and starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow, which premiered at Sundance 2025 and is due for a theatrical release later this year.
__________________________
SCRIPTED TELEVISION | FEATURE FILMS
In the feature space, we are seeking titles that blend genre with grounded human drama. We are also looking for bold and distinct auteur-driven projects.
In the television space, we are looking for series with returning potential. We are specifically looking for ensemble dramas, which explore the dynamics underpinning friendships, family or the workplace. We are interested in diverse stories, and in series appealing to the 20-40 demographic.
We are open to partnering with established production companies to co-produce television.
We are interested in exploring gaps in television programming, as well as models for funding development.
Speaking At
Founded by producers Cyna Strachan and Liam Heyen, Mad Ones is passionate about telling female-lead stories and those with a LGBTQI+ and disability focus.
Mad Ones has produced a catalogue of award-winning short films which have screened at top festivals including TIFF, SXSW, Tribeca, MIFF and Sydney Film Festival. Credits include YOU AND ME, BEFORE AND AFTER directed by Madeleine Gottlieb, VOICE ACTIVATED, directed by Steve Anthopoulos, and ADULT, directed by Jamieson Pearce. Their latest short INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Vanessa Gazy, is funded through the SNSW Short to Feature Fast Track initiative and due for completion in mid-2025.
In 2022 Mad Ones produced the acclaimed series LATECOMERS which won a 2023 ADG Award, the 2023 SPA Award for Best Online Series, the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Online Drama or Comedy as well as the SDIN Award for its “groundbreaking portrayal of the Cerebral Palsy experience”.
In 2024 Mad Ones produced their first feature JIMPA, an international co-production with Closer Films and Viking Films. Directed by Sophie Hyde and starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow, JIMPA premiered at Sundance in 2025, and is due for a theatrical release later this year.
They have a exciting slate of film and television projects in development including the feature directorial debuts of Madeleine Gottlieb, Vanessa Gazy and Tilda Cobham-Hervey, an adult animation series WILLY produced with the acclaimed Ludo Studio, and another series with SBS slated for production in 2025.
The company is currently supported by Screen Australia’s Enterprise program.
Mad Ones has produced a catalogue of award-winning short films which have screened at top festivals including TIFF, SXSW, Tribeca, MIFF and Sydney Film Festival. Credits include YOU AND ME, BEFORE AND AFTER directed by Madeleine Gottlieb, VOICE ACTIVATED, directed by Steve Anthopoulos, and ADULT, directed by Jamieson Pearce. Their latest short INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Vanessa Gazy, is funded through the SNSW Short to Feature Fast Track initiative and due for completion in mid-2025.
In 2022 Mad Ones produced the acclaimed series LATECOMERS which won a 2023 ADG Award, the 2023 SPA Award for Best Online Series, the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Online Drama or Comedy as well as the SDIN Award for its “groundbreaking portrayal of the Cerebral Palsy experience”.
In 2024 Mad Ones produced their first feature JIMPA, an international co-production with Closer Films and Viking Films. Directed by Sophie Hyde and starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow, JIMPA premiered at Sundance in 2025, and is due for a theatrical release later this year.
They have a exciting slate of film and television projects in development including the feature directorial debuts of Madeleine Gottlieb, Vanessa Gazy and Tilda Cobham-Hervey, an adult animation series WILLY produced with the acclaimed Ludo Studio, and another series with SBS slated for production in 2025.
The company is currently supported by Screen Australia’s Enterprise program.
SCREEN FOREVER is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, through Screen Queensland.
Screen Producers Australia respectfully acknowledges the people of the Yugambeh language region, the traditional owners of the lands on which we meet. We thank the traditional custodians for welcoming us all onto their lands.
We acknowledge and pay respects to them and all their descendants both past and present. We also acknowledge the many Aboriginal people from other regions as well as Torres Strait and South Sea Islander people who now live in the local area and have made an important contribution to the community.