British Columbia

The Right to Remain documentary explores development pressure on Vancouver's DTES

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Greg Masuda returns with The Right To Remain, a look at Vancouver's Downtown Eastside residents and their fight to save the community from development.

Documentary is a 'culmination of entire career,' says director Greg Masuda

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Greg Masuda returns with The Right To Remain, a look at Vancouver's Downtown Eastside residents and their fight to save the community from development. 

The documentary is told from a Japanese-Canadian perspective and follows Tom who senses homelessness knocking at his door as rents skyrocket while the city lays out its development plans for the next 30 years, 

"The Right To Remain is a culmination of my entire career as a filmmaker," said Masuda. 

"As a Japanese Canadian, I could not resist participating in the advocacy for the Downtown Eastside community as it looked down the barrel of the real estate industry in the second most expensive city in the world."

He had accumulated over 300 hours of footage for the documentary, which started as an idea five years ago.

The one-hour documentary will air on CBC TV in Alberta and B.C. locally at 7 p.m. as well as online on Saturday, Aug. 8.