Zack Russell | CANADA | 77 min | Captions
Co-presented by Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington ReStore
EVENT: Housing & Community
Feature Film Screening: Tired of civic inaction and set against the backdrop of North America's housing crisis, carpenter Khaleel Seivwright quits his job to build small, life-saving shelters for unhoused people living outside in Toronto during the winter of the pandemic. His actions attract international attention, but also staunch opposition from city officials.
In October 2020, Khaleel Seivwright drove to a remote area of a Toronto park to build a small, insulated shelter. On the front of the shelter, he posted two signs: “Anyone is Welcome.” and the details of a GoFundMe page dedicated to raising money to build more. His idea was simple: to provide unhoused people outside in the winter with tiny, insulated shelter that would keep them safe and warm.
Following the story of Khaleel, his tiny shelters, and their residents, over the course of one brutal Toronto winter, and narrated by Taka, a woman living in one of the tiny, Someone Lives Here captures an important chapter in the battle for the soul of a city.
Post-Film: Stay after the screening for a panel discussion on housing and community in Guelph with Adrienne Crowder (Former Manager, Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy), Ryan Deska (Director, Community Engagement and Development, Habitat For Humanity) and Melissa Kwiatkowski (Chief Executive Officer, Guelph Community Health Centre).
DIRECTOR BIO
Zach Russell
Zack Russell was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. He has directed and written for television, and made two award-winning narrative shorts. His first short, She Stoops To Conquer, premiered at SXSW and went on to win the 206 Canadian Screen Award. His work has been screened at film festivals around the world, including TIFF, SXSW, VIFF and New Orleans. Someone Lives Here is his first documentary.
