M Works is a director, animator and teacher from Mississauga. His journey into filmmaking began in 2013 when he started “M Works,” a Canadian hip hop YouTube channel. Over the next decade he grew it into one of the top music platforms in Canada, directing and editing over 300 music videos. In 2017 he produced The Retour Toronto, a documentary series exploring Canada’s hip hop scene. In 2019 he began pre-production for Mind of the Mask with close friends, wrapping the project in early 2023 and premiering it at the “M Works Film Festival,” an event he curated to showcase short films by local directors. M Works also runs a movie-making workshop in Toronto teaching youth filmmaking, editing and animation, and he has been the videography facilitator for the Street Voices Media Training Workshops.
We spoke with M Works about his creative journey, building a festival from scratch, and what’s next.
It all started with a Sony Ericsson phone and a laptop webcam. Back then, M Works didn’t have a vision of becoming one of Canada’s most consistent music video directors; he just loved experimenting with whatever tools he had.
“I would literally point the laptop webcam and that would be my camera,” he says, laughing. “At that point I didn’t know I wanted to do video production as a career. I was just messing around.”
That curiosity eventually grew as he spent time with friends who had cameras of their own. “I remember just being around one of my good friends before I even knew how to turn the camera on. I would just watch him work with it. He gave me some opportunities to really experience editing,” he says.
By 2013, M Works decided to make it official and launch his own platform. But in the early days, his access to equipment was limited.
“Before I had my own equipment I had a friend that let me borrow his. He believed in me and I didn’t want to let someone down that believed in me. That, mixed with my interest in editing and animating at the time, made me want to see how far I could take it. Once I had access to gear, I just kept going.”
From Guerrilla Shoots to a Massive Catalogue
Working solo taught him to wear every hat. “When you’re doing guerrilla style video production it’s just you,” he explains. “Directing is just another one of the jobs along with filming, editing, color grading, audio; really planning and producing the whole thing as well as shooting it.”
Over the years his portfolio grew to include more than 300 music videos. By 2017 he expanded his storytelling into documentaries with The Retour Toronto, offering a closer look at hip hop culture in his city.
The Challenge of Filmmaking
Filmmaking in a narrative sense came later. “That came a lot further down into my career. I’ve been doing this for 12 years and I’m fairly new to the filmmaking game,” he says. “I only really started creating films in 2021. That’s when I first started to write.”
That summer he began working on Mind of the Mask. “Creating a film is something that I feel like I’ve always wanted to do. I love challenging myself and I knew that creating a short film would be a challenge. I had ideas and I had some friends that helped me a lot along the way and taught me a lot about creating films.”
The process of scripting, casting, filming and editing led to a finished piece he was proud to share. “Definitely an important step of my career,” he says.
M Works Film Festival
When it came time to premiere Mind of the Mask, a single screening didn’t feel like enough.
“I’m always thinking, how can I take an idea that’s already big and go even further? Making a film; that’s big. Premiering a film in theatres; that’s big too. But still I thought, okay, even though I’m doing something that’s really grand what can I do to step it up another level?”
The answer became the M Works Film Festival.
“I wanted to give my audience more than just one film, especially if they were going to take a chunk out of their day to commute to the festival,” he says. “Instead of giving them a 20 or 30 minute film, I wanted them to experience more. I felt that was only right.”
But this wasn’t just about filling seats. From its very first year, the festival became a space where local filmmakers, artists, and audiences could connect. Red carpets rolled out not as a spectacle but as a celebration of community. Short films from Toronto’s up-and-coming directors played alongside Mind of the Mask, with post-screening Q&As sparking real conversations about storytelling, collaboration, and the grind of independent filmmaking.
“It’s about creating a moment,” M Works says. “When people come to the festival, I want them to feel like they’re part of something bigger. They leave inspired, and that’s the energy I wanted to build. It’s not just about me; it’s about giving others a platform too.”
The festival atmosphere reflects that vision. Audiences mingle with filmmakers in lobbies before screenings. Creatives share their journeys on stage. Local musicians perform between films. It’s a hybrid of film, music and community; a DIY energy with professional execution.
A Year-Round Commitment
Organizing the festival wasn’t easy. “It almost feels like a full time job,” he admits. “You might think because I do my film festivals every May, the work just starts in April. That’s not the case at all. Even when the festival is six or seven months away, I’m still working on it. Literally the next month after my film festival ends, I’m already starting to plan for the following year.”
But each year the effort pays off. “It’s been a cool journey. It gives me the confidence to say I could do it. If I did it once, I can do it twice, three times. Every time I go back into that theatre, I feel more confident in what I’m doing.”
Looking Ahead
M Works has big plans for the festival’s future. “I want to take my film festival on a tour around the world. I’d definitely like to start in Canada and North America. That’s important to me. But the long term goal is to expand it globally.”
He’s also working on a claymation stop motion concept and hopes to experiment with new genres.
“Comedy and horror would be cool. I’m not even the biggest horror fan, but I like the idea of stepping into those realms and putting my ideas from paper to the big screen.”
And then there are the youth workshops he’s leading in Toronto. “I’d love to give them an office. A space where young people can come and learn filmmaking, editing, animation. And of course, like any filmmaker, I want to level up my equipment and production quality.”
“Things Will Align For You”
Reflecting on his career, M Works recognizes how much support shaped his journey.
“My story is different because I had a lot of encouragement coming up. I had people on my side. In other people’s stories you’ll often hear how there are people not really believing in them, almost against them. I’m grateful I didn’t have that. There was a lot of support and a lot of praise.”
For young creatives, his message is simple.
“Don’t be discouraged by anything. Not by anyone else’s success or the speed at which they’re getting to their goals. Everyone works on their own timing. Even with me, there are things I wish I was doing at this stage that I’m not yet. But I’m not discouraged because I understand everything happens on its own time.
“Just keep working. Don’t let other metrics sway you from your goal. Keep going. It’s cliché but it’s the best advice I can give. Things will align for you.”
We thank M Works for his time.