M. H. Murray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
M. H. Murray
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Murray at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival
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Mathew Hubert Murray
June 4, 1993 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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| Education | York University |
| Occupation | Writer, filmmaker |
| Years active | 2013–present |
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Notable work
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Teenagers |
Mathew Hubert Murray (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.
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Early life
Murray was born in Toronto to a French Canadian mother and a Scottish Canadian father. He was raised in the Port Credit area of Mississauga, Ontario. In high school, he started a YouTube channel and began creating "little slasher films" with his family and friends. He later graduated from film school at York University.
Career
While in film school, Murray began working on his first web series, titled Teenagers. Filmed in late 2013 and released in early 2014, Teenagers attracted media attention because its cast included former Degrassi stars Chloe Rose and Raymond Ablack. Playback wrote that "the young creators of Teenagers had to have plenty of luck, pluck, talent, and grit to get this far." 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. T. J. Scott served as an executive producer for the second and third seasons of the series. The first episode of the second season of Teenagers premiered online in July 2015 and soon went viral, amassing more than 3 million views on YouTube. The second season was nominated for various awards, including a Canadian Screen Award and four Indie Series Awards. A third and final season was released in 2017 and received six nominations from the International Academy of Web Television and three nominations at the 9th annual Indie Series Awards. Since its release, Teenagers has received positive reviews from critics. .....
Following the conclusion of Teenagers, Murray wrote and directed a short film titled Ghost. The film stars Mark Clennon as Benjamin, a gay musician who is "ghosted" by his lover. After premiering virtually at the Inside Out Film Festival, the film screened at festivals in Paris and Connecticut. Ghost had its U.S. premiere at the 47th annual Seattle International Film Festival in April 2021, and was released online in June 2021.
In 2022, Murray co-directed the music video for Clennon's song "Kingston", which was filmed in Kingston, Jamaica, becoming the first music video shot in Jamaica to feature an on-screen romance between two men.
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.
Influences
Murray's work on Teenagers has drawn comparisons to the Degrassi franchise. 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". 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.
Murray has also said that he is influenced by American actor and filmmaker John Cassavetes and "people who use their own resources and money to get their projects going when studios or other people ignore them."
Personal life
Murray is gay.
Accolades
For his work on Teenagers, Murray won several accolades. At the Vancouver Web Series Festival, he won awards for Best Screenplay in 2016 and Best Canadian Series in 2018. In 2017, he was nominated for Best Director at the 5th annual International Academy of Web Television Awards.
