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Nechako_10242517

Unsettling the Lens Indigenous Film Series: Nechako: It will be a big river again

  • Date: May 19, 2026
  • Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm PDT

Free

21 in stock

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Description

When the Kenney Dam was built in the 1950s, it diverted most of British Columbia’s Nechako River to power an aluminum smelter—devastating ecosystems and the Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations who depend on its waters. Seventy years later, these Nations continue their struggle against powerful institutions in a landmark legal case to restore the river’s flow and protect their way of life. Filmmaker and Indigenous scholar Lyana Patrick (Stellat’en First Nation) weaves personal reflection with urgent testimony from Elders, leaders, and land defenders who refuse to give up on the Nechako. Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again is a powerful chronicle of resistance and renewal—a call to action reminding us that survival must serve everyone, and that the health of our lands and waters is inseparable from our own.

Unsettling the Lens is curated by Indigenous Engagement Coordinator bailey macabre and in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada.

2025, 1h 30m

Doors at 6:15pm

Free Admission – Donations welcomed. Popcorn and drinks available for purchase.

Registration is recommended, seating is limited but not guaranteed to be available at the door.

Event Details

Date: May 19, 2026

Start time: 18:30 PDT

End time: 20:00 PDT

ćuý'ulhnamut

ćuý’ulhnamut

Nanaimo Art Gallery is situated in the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of Snuneymuxw First Nations, and we are grateful to operate on Snuneymuxw territory.

ćuý'ulhnamut

ćuý'ulhnamut

Nanaimo Art Gallery is situated in the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of Snuneymuxw First Nations, and we are grateful to operate on Snuneymuxw territory.