First, it’s truly a pleasure to welcome to our screens Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw Salmon People: Preserving a Way of Life directed by Darrell Hillaire and Beth Pilert and produced by our friends at Children of the Setting Sun Productions, with whom we celebrate the Treaty Day Film Festival every January. Many of you saw Fish War at Doctober this year, and Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw is an essential, must-see companion film. While Fish War detailed the big picture events leading up to and surrounding the Boldt decision,  Scha'nexw Elhtal'nexw focuses in on the Lummi nation and on the Kinley family, whose lives, livelihood, and identity for generations have been enmeshed with fishing and salmon. It’s a beautifully evoked snapshot of how a love for salmon is bigger and more vital than a mere job: it’s about preserving a way of life, not just for one community but for all of us, particularly when climate change, pollution, and politics threaten our water and waterways and disrupt life-giving connections and a reciprocal relationship to the natural world.

Join us for the screening on Saturday at 3:20 pm, and some of the filmmakers will be joining us for a discussion after the film. Tickets are currently sold out, but we encourage patrons to stop by on Saturday and request to be put on the waiting list: there are often open seats, and we will fit in as many as we are able! 

Second, we are delighted to be working with the Bellingham Food Bank for a very special event this Sunday, just prior to Thanksgiving, presenting their short film, “Pa’l Corazon (For the Heart).”  The film beautifully details the work the Food Bank does: rejecting traditional food bank models--where food supplies are primarily made up of excess food, food that often isn’t healthy or culturally relevant to the communities they serve--and adopting a new model, where they purchase the majority of their food and work directly with local farmers, ensuring that their supplies are fresh, healthy, and appropriate to the community’s needs.   

We’re also so happy to welcome a panel of guests from the Food Bank, who will participate in a discussion after the screening, and, as a reminder, this event is free, but we are encouraging donations from $5-$50 since all donations will go directly to the Bellingham Food Bank and will support the vital work that they do.  Join us on Sunday at 10:00 am!  

See you at the movies, friends! 

Melissa