It tells the story of a particular locale in the Columbia Basin but it rings true to many other communities and areas that were washed away when flooding began following the construction of Columbia River Treaty dams in the 1960s.

Washed Away, a documentary by Revelstoke area filmmaker Agathe Bernard, with support from the Revelstoke Museum and Archives, shares stories of displacement on the Columbia River, beginning with the displacement of the Sinixt people due to colonization and settlement, and their erasure from the Canadian landscape.

It then looks at the impacts of the dam construction.

Approximately 2,000 settlers were displaced from the Columbia River valley between Castlegar and Revelstoke when the Hugh Keenleyside Dam was completed at Castlegar in 1969.

This created a huge loss of farmland and the destruction of a rural lifestyle that many families had sustained for generations, the impactful film points out.

A similar story can be told for colonial intrusion into the Ktunaxa homeland and then impacts to property owners along the Kootenay River, which is now Lake Koocanusa after the Libby Dam was constructed.

Knowing the story about the losses suffered by previous generations of Columbia Basin residents, before and after the construction of dams, is important as the Columbia River Treaty remains in the process of re-negotiation between the USA, Canada and British Columbia.

Washed Away is produced by Revelstoke Museum and Archives and directed by Agathe Bernard and Cathy English, Curator of Revelstoke Museum and Archives.

Donations are welcome to support the work of Revelstoke Museum and Archives. Click the Donate button on the revelstokemuseum.ca website.

Please enjoy the film.

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