| Someone Lives Here | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Zack Russell | 
| Produced by | Andrew Ferguson Matt King Zack Russell  | 
| Starring | Khaleel Seivwright | 
| Cinematography | Chet Tilokani | 
| Edited by | Marianna Khoury | 
| Music by | Bram Gielen | 
Production company  | LaRue Entertainment  | 
Release date  | 
  | 
Running time  | 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]
Critical response
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]
Awards
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]
References
- ↑ Andrew Jeffrey, "Exclusive trailer: Canadian feature “Someone Lives Here” set for Hot Docs world premiere". RealScreen, March 28, 2023.
 - ↑ Manuela Vega, "Tiny shelter carpenter Khaleel Seivwright at centre of Hot Docs’ ‘Someone Lives Here’". Toronto Star, April 28, 2023.
 - ↑ "‘Someone Lives Here’ takes home top prize at Hot Docs film festival". Toronto Star, May 8, 2023.
 - ↑ Rachel Ho, "Hot Docs: 'Someone Lives Here' Reveals Society's Broken Safety Nets, and Those Who Are Trying to Fix Them". Exclaim!, April 26, 2023.
 - ↑ Pat Mullen, "TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten Includes BlackBerry, Solo, Humanist Vampire". That Shelf, December 6, 2023.
 - ↑ Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Women Talking leads film nominees for 2023 DGC Awards". Playback, September 20, 2023.
 - ↑ V.S. Wells, "VIFF announces Canadian film award winners". The Georgia Straight, October 5, 2023.
 - ↑ Erik Anderson, "Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Awards: ‘The Zone of Interest’ Wins Best Picture, Director". AwardsWatch, December 17, 2023.
 
External links