| Someone Lives Here | |
| Director: | Zack Russell |
| Producer: | Andrew Ferguson Matt King Zack Russell |
| Starring: | Khaleel Seivwright |
| Music: | Bram Gielen |
| Cinematography: | Chet Tilokani |
| Editing: | Marianna Khoury |
| Studio: | LaRue Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 75 minutes |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
Someone Lives Here is a 2023 Canadian documentary film, directed by Zack Russell.[1] The film profiles Khaleel Seivwright, a carpenter who has launched a project of building small private shelters for homeless people in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic, against the bureaucratic resistance of the city government.[2]
The film premiered at the 2023 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, where it was named the winner of the Rogers Audience Award.[3]
Rachel Ho of Exclaim! praised the film, writing that "Russell may not have had aspirations to become a documentarian, but he sure has a natural knack for it. The film comes in at a lean 75 minutes, the perfect amount of time to tell Seivwright's story and explore the various angles to the greater issue of homelessness in Toronto. It's a simple thing, but particularly for a first-time documentary filmmaker, Russell shows a lot of restraint in not adding unnecessary pomp, ensuring the maximum impact is felt."[4]
The film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2023.[5]
It was a nominee for the Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film at the 2023 Directors Guild of Canada awards,[6] and won the award for Best Canadian Documentary Film at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival.[7]
The film was shortlisted for the Rogers Best Canadian Documentary Award at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2023,[8] and the Canadian Screen Awards for Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Editing in a Documentary (Marianna Khoury) at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024.[9]