I never thought I'd make a documentary — then I met Toronto's 'tiny shelter' carpenter

Cutaways is a personal essay series where filmmakers tell the story of how their film was made. This Hot Docs 2023 edition by Zack Russell focuses on his film Someone Lives Here, which follows carpenter Khaleel Seivwright on his mission to build "tiny shelters" for people experiencing homelessness.

I remember exactly how it started.   

It was October 2020, early in the morning, around 5am. I couldn't sleep. I was scrolling on my phone, and I came across a news story about a carpenter building tiny shelters in Toronto for people stuck living outside in the winter. I didn't know much about homelessness, and I'd never even considered making a documentary. But there was something about this story.

When I finished reading it, I had what I can only describe as a vision: a tiny shelter, perched on a hill, with a lone voice coming from inside. Peaceful, romantic ... and, as I would discover over the next year, more than a little naive. 

But the vision stayed with me. It stayed with me all day. And so — impulsively — I found the email address for the carpenter, Khaleel Seivwright, and wrote to him. Would he be interested in being the subject of a documentary?

After a few days, Khaleel wrote me back. No, he had no interest in a documentary; he was busy building, and wanted to put all his energy into the project. But he did want to make a how-to video so that more people could build the self-heating shelters he'd designed.

Without any real plan, I wrote back instantly: Yes! I'd love to. An hour later, I'd convinced Chet Tilokani, who would become our director of photography, to help me.

It was a strange way to begin a documentary — directing your subject in a how-to video is not how most docs begin. But we got to know Khaleel, and he got to know us. Maybe most importantly, we proved that we could do more than just sit back and watch. We could help. And this was important — because, as I quickly learned, Khaleel was on a mission.

He was on a mission to save people's lives. Many people joined him on that mission. Many people had been on this mission for a very long time.  

Here are some of the things I learned in the ten months we shot our documentary, Someone Lives Here. 

I learned that when it comes to homelessness, the people I trust are the people who have lived it. How do we "solve homelessness?" How do we make our city-run shelter system safer, less deadly? Listen to the people who have lived it, and survived. They know. They've learned more in their experience than any politician or city employee will ever know. And they've been telling you for decades. If you want things to get better, listen to them. (They're even on Twitter! @Wyld_Wych, @Fudbar, @Grusomebrat — to name only a few.)

I learned that sometimes, the best way to make a film is to leave the camera in the bag and hang out with people. To make the film your second priority. To value the people and the relationships more than the footage. This can feel counterintuitive. I spent a lot of time worrying that I needed to choose between making a film or helping people survive. At the end of the day, I tried to do both — imperfectly, of course, and with a lot of failure. But it felt good to try.

But the best thing I learned is that people can help other people. I know this sounds obvious, but I don't know that I really believed it until I witnessed the actions of Khaleel and so many others — the immense effect they had on people's ability to survive.

It is possible to help people. And it's happening all the time, usually without much fanfare. It may not be encouraged by your government, or paid for by your employer, but it's happening. People are doing it. And if you're lucky, you'll notice — and join them. 

Someone Lives Here screens at Hot Docs 2023 on Saturday, April 29 and Thursday, May 4.

This essay is part of CBC Arts's coverage of the 2023 Hot Docs Festival.