The NFB, Lantern Films and Experimental Forest Films invite everyone in the Vanderhoof area to attend this free community screening of

Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again  (Lyana Patrick | 2025 | 90 min)

Reserve your free ticket at Free Screening – Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again Tickets, Sun, Nov 9, 2025 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite.

Nechako is a story of survival 70 years in the making, beginning in the early 1950s in northwestern BC, when the Kenney Dam was built to power an aluminum smelter. This for-profit megaproject diverted 70% of the Nechako River into an artificial reservoir, flooding lands, displacing wildlife and severely impacting the lives of local Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations. The dam decimated salmon runs, which are vital to the Nations’ way of life and compose up to 90% of their diet.

Fast forward to the present day, as the Nations wage a potentially precedent-setting legal battle against Rio Tinto Alcan, the global mining conglomerate responsible for the dam. Amidst large-scale environmental destruction and despite the will of powerful institutions, this crucial documentary is a chronicle of hope and resistance against all odds. With Nechako, Stellat’en filmmaker Lyana Patrick follows the people fighting to restore a river and a way of life.

“Nechako is more than a story of the past—its compelling narrative allows the audience to listen, witness, and act.”
– Ashley Kim, Stir Magazine

“The story of the Kenney Dam is one of resistance and restoration, of the intimate connections between the health of the land and the health of the people. What the Nechako Nations are seeking is a role in the stewardship of our lands and waters, something denied to us for generations.”
– Lyana Patrick, filmmaker

This event will include welcome remarks by Saik’uz First Nation Chief Priscilla Mueller and District of Vanderhoof Mayor Kevin Moutray and a Q&A after the screening featuring Saik’uz Stewardship Lead, Jasmine Thomas.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1092268270