BC’s Knowledge Network is inviting mid-career and senior Indigenous BC producers to submit development proposals for premium limited documentary series of 3 to 4 one-hour episodes, for broadcast on our television channel and streaming service.
This is our third and final proposal intake round for Stories (Un)told, a partnership with Creative BC.
We’re looking for layered and resonant BC stories (contemporary or historical) that have been hidden from view or that are being reframed with new context and insight. These stories can reach beyond BC, but they need to have a BC anchor. The series will premiere in Storyville – our flagship documentary strand that focuses on social issues.
One project will be selected for development with the goal of moving into production in 2027. Financial support will be in the form of a development license fee and potentially an allocation from Knowledge Network’s CMF Envelope. (TBD based on confirmation of our envelope amount in April 2026.)
The two projects previously commissioned for Stories (Un)told are:
Seeking Saltwater – in production. This three-part series moves between past and present to tell an intimate story of Chinese-Canadians in B.C. Black Rhino Creative Inc is leading the project, with award-winning filmmaker Ryan Mah as director backed by producers Daniel Berish, Joanna Wong and Leah Mallen. Seeking Saltwater is a timely and inventive reimagining of the Chinese-Canadian experience that excavates the layers of who we once were, who we are now and what we hope to become in the future.
Rural Med: Life on the Edge – in development from Vancouver’s Omnifilm Entertainment, this four-part series will profile the work of dedicated healthcare professionals operating in remote and rural communities across B.C., where they must contend with unique difficulties — including vast distances, lack of transportation infrastructure, staffing shortages and scarce resources — to keep the people they care about healthy and safe.
Eligibility Criteria for the Applicant
This stream is intended as a unique opportunity for mid-career and senior Indigenous BC documentary filmmakers to work on a larger creative canvas at the level of their ability and imagination in the service of our Knowledge Network audiences. High production values are a core expectation.
The following content is not eligible:
We will be hosting a Q&A session for producers seeking additional information about this call and working with Knowledge Network on the following date:
TO RSVP for this session please email Nikki Beesley at nikkib@knowledge.caIf you do not have the specific number of credits indicated in the eligibility criteria listed below but feel your accumulated experience in other documentary roles demonstrates the requisite skills/experience to lead on a project of this scope and scale, we will consider the argument you put forward. Please include details in your submission.
Deadline for Submissions – January 30, 2026 at 5:00 pm PST. (The application portal will be closed and proposals submitted later than 5:00 pm will not be accepted.)
The successful applicant will be determined by March 2026.
Question? Please contact Nikki Beesley at 604.431.3114 or nikkib@knowledge.ca
To request Accessibility Support please contact us no less than 4 weeks before the submission deadline.
In 2-3 pages summarize the story your series will tell, the creative approach and point of view. Who are the key participants and what is their journey? What is the central question your series will explore? Briefly provide contextual information to acquaint us with the subject and explain why such a series is needed now.
Tell us about yourselves and your experience as filmmakers. This section is also an opportunity to let us know your affiliation to one or more specific Indigenous nations, communities, settlements, reserves or families.
First Nations: Status and non-status individuals who are citizens, recognized members or direct blood relatives of a self-governing band, a reserve-based community, or a larger tribal group.
Inuit: Individuals recognized as the First Peoples of the Arctic regions of Canada including Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and parts of the Northwest Territories.
Métis: Individuals who are culturally distinct from First Nations and Inuit and have a direct line of Métis ancestry to a known Métis settlement, community, or family group.
In your producer bio, please include an overview of the production budget levels you have previously worked with and successes you have had in accessing various Canadian and international sources of funding. We want to understand what budget levels and financing structures you have experience with.
Please include contact information.
Proposal Submission and Release Form
I, the undersigned am voluntarily submitting to Knowledge Network Corporation (KNC) the Proposal with the understanding that this release is a prerequisite before KNC will review the Proposal. I hereby acknowledge and agree as follows:
that I am the sole creator, owner and controller of the Proposal. I have the full and exclusive right to submit the Proposal to KNC and no other person or corporation has any right, title or interest in the Proposal inconsistent with my rights to develop and license the Proposal. I acknowledge that the Proposal is not defamatory and does not infringe upon or violate the privacy rights, copyrights, trademark, publicity or other intellectual or proprietary rights of any third party.
that no agreement exists, written or oral, express or implied, between I and KNC concerning the Proposal, other than this release. KNC has not made any promise or representation to me about the Proposal and has no obligation to use the Proposal in any way.
that I will not be entitled to any compensation for KNC to make use of any such similar or identical idea or other creative work. I acknowledge that KNC will give the Proposal only the consideration that KNC in its sole and absolute discretion determines is appropriate.
that I have retained a copy of the Proposal and agree that KNC has no obligation to return the Proposal to me. I release KNC for from any liability for loss or damage to the Proposal. I agree that KNC does not accept any obligation of confidentiality with respect to the Proposal and has the right to copy, use, and distribute the Proposal for the purpose of its evaluation and review.
that I will indemnify and hold harmless KNC, its officers, employees and agents against all claims, actions, demands, damages, losses, liabilities, and costs whatsoever arising out of any breach or violation of any representation made by me in this release.
