Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again brings struggle over B.C.’s Kenney Dam to VIFF Centre, June 6 to 21

Lyana Patrick’s NFB documentary, recounting the Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations’ ongoing fight for justice, returns for local screenings

By Ashley Kim

Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again.

Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again screens at the VIFF Centre from June 6 to 21

A 70-YEAR-LONG STORY of resistance, restoration, and hope, Stellat’en filmmaker Lyana Patrick’s documentary Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again is returning to the VIFF Centre this month.

Having made its debut at this year’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival—where Patrick received an honourable mention for the Colin Low Award for best Canadian director—Nechako follows the Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations’ efforts to restore the Nechako River in northwestern B.C., and thus their way of life. 

Diverting the river into an artificial reservoir, the construction of the Kenney Dam in 1952 had devastating effects on local Indigenous communities and the environment alike. From floods and the destruction of surrounding ecosystems to the loss of the Nations’ main food source, the salmon, the list of relentless harm continues. The 91-minute film documents the enduring legal battle against mining company Rio Tinto Alcan and the Canadian federal and provincial governments, while highlighting the intimate and personal stories of community members whose lives and well-being are inextricably tied to the river.

Nechako is more than a story of the past—its compelling narrative allows the audience to listen, witness, and act. 

Patrick strives to spotlight Indigenous voices and stories in her works. Her short films “A Place to Belong” and “The Train Station” explore themes of Indigenous identity and connection to the land, and have been presented at festivals such as the Vancouver International Film Festival, Hot Docs, and DOC NYC. As she told Stir about Nechako in an interview before the DOXA debut earlier this year: “This film was asked for by community, to tell a particular story, so I needed to convey certain pieces of information. But I wanted to do so in a way that let the people speak for themselves, and the land and the water speak for themselves. It was a very intentional strategy.”

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