Episode 523: In The Seats With...Zack Russell and 'Someone Lives Here' at Hot Docs '23

Having a roof over one's head is more of a confidence builder then people can truly ever know....On this episode we're still knee deep in the Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival (it's almost over but select films are available to stream online) and we're talking about a film that is pulled from the news columns here in Toronto showing a tragic failure of government almost in real time.  It's time for 'Someone Lives Here'.Throughout the COVID pandemic, Toronto has seen a catastrophic increase in homelessness. Sick of seeing his city unable to care for its unhoused people, Khaleel Seivwright quit his job as a full-time carpenter and dedicated himself to building insulated shelters—called “tiny shelters.” Innovatively using body temperature for heating, Khaleel’s efforts garnered international media attention, leading Toronto to propose a possible partnership—only to reverse its decision a week later.A very poignant and very real piece of cinema that so many of us in Toronto got to live through on the news on a daily basis.  We had the unique pleasure of sitting down with director Zack Russell to find out what led him to pick up his camera, document Khaleel's story and so very much more....