“Here’s another fine example of the films coming along these days about Indigenous issues here in Canada, by Indigenous filmmakers.”

“A dam destroyed their river. 61 years later, two First Nations fought for justice. A new documentary, Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again, dives into how two First Nations sought justice for damage to one of B.C.’s biggest rivers”.

The legal battle for the Nechako River

Film follows the fight of First Nations to restore river.

The Nechako River was one of the main tributaries of the Fraser until the Kenney Dam was built in the 1950s. The dam diverted most of the river’s flow to power Rio Tinto Alcan’s aluminum smelter in Kitimat, severely impacting the lives of the local Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations. Nechako is a new film that documents years of resistance by the two Nations, including a groundbreaking legal proceeding against the Canadian government and Rio Tinto Alcan that continues to this day. We speak with writer and director Lyana Patrick of the Stellat’en First Nation

Nechako by Lyana Patrick Premieres at DOXA

Nechako: A story of loss, community and recovery . The film follows various individuals forced to balance the challenges of everyday life with their responsibility to seek justice. By providing a window into the community, Patrick hopes to highlight the mistreatment of land across the world, the effects of which — increasingly frequent wildfires, hurricanes and rising sea levels — now confront us on a regular basis

In this powerful episode of Film Picnic, we spread our blanket along the waters of the Nechako River to discuss environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and the art of documentary storytelling with director Lyana Patrick and producer Jessica Hallenbeck!