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]
| Someone Lives Here | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| 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 |
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
editRachel 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
editIt 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]
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "BlackBerry Leads CSA Nominations". Northern Stars, March 6, 2024.