World premiere of Vancouver director Lyana Patrick’s feature documentary Nechako at DOXA. Lantern Films/Experimental Forest Films/NFB co-production follows two Indigenous Nations fighting for our collective future.
PRESS RELEASE
03/04/2025
April 3, 2025 – Vancouver – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Stellat’en First Nation filmmaker Lyana Patrick’s feature doc Nechako: It Will Be a Big River Again will be making its world premiere in her home base of Vancouver in the DOXA Documentary Film Festival’s Justice Forum.
A Lantern Films/Experimental Forest Films/National Film Board of Canada (NFB) co-production, Nechako will be presented at the VIFF Centre (1181 Seymour Street) on Saturday, May 3, at 5 p.m., followed by a panel discussion with the director and special guests.
About the film
- When the Kenney Dam was built in the 1950s, 70 percent of BC’s Nechako River was diverted into an artificial reservoir, severely impacting the lives of local Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations. What followed were decades of resistance, including legal actions against the Canadian federal and provincial governments and Rio Tinto Alcan, a subsidiary of a global mining conglomerate.
- Nechakofollows the people fighting today to restore a river and a way of life: Nations going up against industry, community leaders advocating for their people, Elders documenting their histories and community members living off the land.
About the director
- Committed to elevating Indigenous stories, Lyana Patrick studied film at the Native Voices Program, University of Washington. Her acclaimed short films A Place to Belongand The Train Station have been showcased at prestigious festivals like Hot Docs, DOC NYC and the Vancouver International Film Festival.
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French version here | Version française ici.
Media Relations
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About the NFB
Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 7,000 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.