M. H. Murray
Murray at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Mathew Hubert Murray

(1993-06-04) June 4, 1993
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
EducationYork University
Occupation(s)Writer, filmmaker
Years active2013–present
Notable workTeenagers
Websitemathewmurray.ca

Mathew Hubert Murray[lower-alpha 1] (born June 4, 1993), credited professionally as M. H. Murray, is a Canadian writer and filmmaker. He first attracted attention for his work on Teenagers (2014–2017), which won several accolades.[1][2]

Early life

Murray was raised in the Port Credit area of Mississauga,[3] by a French Canadian mother and a Scottish Canadian father.[4] In high school, he started a YouTube channel and began creating "little slasher films" with his family and friends.[4][5] He graduated from York University's film school.[6]

Career

While in film school, Murray began working on his first web series, titled Teenagers.[6][7] The series ran for three seasons, from 2024 to 2017, initially attracting media attention because its cast included former Degrassi stars such as Chloe Rose and Raymond Ablack.[8] Murray co-created the series with close friend Sara Tamosauskas and produced the first season alongside Emmanuel Kabongo, who also starred in all three seasons of the series.[9] T. J. Scott served as an executive producer for the second and third seasons of the series.[3] The second season's premiere episode went viral,[10] amassing millions of views on YouTube.[11] Since its release, Teenagers has received positive reviews from critics and has won several accolades, including a Canadian Screen Award nomination and an Indie Series Award.[11][12][13][14]

Following the conclusion of Teenagers, Murray wrote and directed a short film titled Ghost.[4] The film stars Mark Clennon as Benjamin, a gay musician who is "ghosted" by his lover.[15][16] After premiering virtually at the Inside Out Film Festival,[17] the film screened at festivals in Paris and Connecticut.[16][18] Ghost had its U.S. premiere at the 47th annual Seattle International Film Festival in April 2021,[19] and was released online in June 2021.[18][20]

In 2022, Murray co-directed the music video for Clennon's song "Kingston", which was filmed in Kingston, Jamaica, which garnered media attention for being the first music video shot in Jamaica to feature an on-screen romance between two men.[21]

Murray's feature film debut, I Don't Know Who You Are, also starring Clennon, premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[22]

Influences

Murray at a screening of Teenagers in 2017

Murray's work on Teenagers has drawn comparisons to the Degrassi franchise.[23] In a December 2016 interview with CBC's q radio show, Murray refuted Degrassi comparisons, saying that while he "respects" the show, he believes that Teenagers is "a fresh take on that experience".[1] Murray has stated that he was influenced by Issa Rae's The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, John Hughes's The Breakfast Club, and Larry Clark's Kids.[24]

Murray has cited American actor and filmmaker John Cassavetes as an influence, and "people who use their own resources and money to get their projects going when studios or other people ignore them."[5]

Personal life

Murray is gay.[25]

Accolades

At the Vancouver Web Series Festival, Murray won Best Screenplay in 2016 and Best Canadian Series in 2018 for his work on the second and third seasons of Teenagers.[26][2] In 2017, he was nominated for Best Director at the 5th annual International Academy of Web Television Awards for directing the third season of Teenagers.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 "M. H. Murray doesn't gloss over the gritty details of being a teenager in his web series | CBC Radio". CBC. December 20, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Clay, Chris (May 11, 2018). "Mississauga-based web series 'Teenagers' earns pair of awards, racks up views". Mississauga News. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Clay, Chris (April 29, 2016). "Mississauga director's web series a raw take on teenage life". Mississauga News. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Filmmaker M.H. Murray Tackles Modern-Dating Anxieties in 'Ghost'". Occhi Magazine. May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "M.H. Murray Talks GHOST, What Audiences Can Glean From It and More". Geek Girl Authority. May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Mitchell, Ashlee (January 30, 2014). "A teenage dream". Excalibur. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  7. ↑ Greene, Steve (December 13, 2016). "Indiewire's Project of the Day: 'teenagers' | IndieWire". IndieWire. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ Chunovic, Louis (January 15, 2014). "New web series Teenagers attracts Degrassi alum". Playback. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  9. ↑ "teenagers' Enters its Final Season All Grown Up | Stareable Blog". www.stareable.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  10. ↑ teenagers (web series) - S2, E1 - "The Difference Between Sex and Fucking", retrieved February 9, 2022
  11. 1 2 Durnford, Samie (August 17, 2016). "Binge-worthy Toronto web series". NOW Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ "AS IF BEING A TEENAGER WAS EVER EASY : Teenagers Webseries | Starved Magazine". www.culturestarved.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  13. ↑ Knegt, Peter (January 20, 2016). "7 reasons you should care about the Canadian Screen Awards this year". CBC Arts. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Where You've Seen The Ginny And Georgia Cast Before". CINEMABLEND. March 5, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ "'Ghost'". CTVNews. May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  16. 1 2 "Short film 'Ghost' is a character study of a gay man getting ghosted". etalk. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  17. ↑ Wilner, Norman (July 2, 2020). "Inside Out 2020 is happening (online) in October". NOW Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  18. 1 2 "Toronto filmmaker explores 'ghosting' and modern dating in new short film". CBC News. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  19. ↑ Tatum, Erin (May 5, 2021). "Filmmaker M.H. Murray Examines The Anxiety of Modern Dating in New Short Film, "Ghost"". Cliché Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  20. ↑ GHOST (Gay Short Film) directed by M. H. Murray, YouTube, retrieved September 25, 2021
  21. ↑ "Mark Clennon Shares New "Kingston" Video, the First Shot in Jamaica to Feature an Onscreen Romance Between Two Men | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  22. ↑ Hazelton, John. "TIFF Discovery and Midnight Madness line-ups revealed". Screen. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Sex, drugs & violence: Toronto's provocative Web Series "Teenagers" returns for Season Two". www.shedoesthecity.com. August 10, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Exclusive Interview with Teenagers Creator Mathew Murray". TalkNerdyWithUs. April 2, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  25. ↑ Slater, Shane (September 15, 2023). "TIFF Interview: Talking 'I Don't Know Who You Are' with M. H. Murray and Mark Clennon". Awards Radar. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  26. ↑ Cummins, Julianna (March 23, 2016). "Riftworld, Sudden Master win at Vancouver Web Fest". Playback. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  27. ↑ "5th IAWTV Awards 2017 – IAWTV Awards". Retrieved November 9, 2021.

Notes

  1. ↑ Murray's full name is listed on his website
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