Private proposal
Prepared for VAST — Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture
A proposal prepared for VAST — Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture
40 years of
resilience.
VAST has spent four decades supporting survivors of torture and political violence from more than 100 countries. As you reach this milestone, we want to help you tell that story on film.
Why this film matters now.
40 years of history
VAST was founded in 1986 by human rights activists and mental health workers responding to an influx of refugees from armed conflicts in South and Central America. You built Western Canada's refugee mental health hub from the ground up. Today you work with people from more than 100 countries, in more than a dozen languages, and you have supported over 20,000 people.
That is a story worth documenting. Your 40th anniversary is the moment to do it.
The urgency
The national conversation about refugees and newcomers is getting harder. At the same time, organizations like VAST are doing some of the most important work in the country. Film is one of the few tools that can cut through and make people feel the human reality behind the policy debate.
A film made now will serve VAST in fundraising, in grant applications, and in public education for years to come.
Three options for your 40th.
Each option is a complete production. Each also includes a set of social and fundraising assets produced in-kind at no additional cost.
Community Story
A 4 to 8 minute documentary built around one person's experience. This could be a survivor who came to Canada and rebuilt their life with VAST's support, or a staff member who can speak to what this work actually looks like.
This format works well as a fundraising anchor. Screen it at your October open house and share it with donors afterward. A film that makes people feel the work rather than just understand it.
- 4 to 8 minute mini-documentary
- Edit, sound mix, and colour grade
- Licensed music score
- 2 rounds of revisions
- Final delivery in broadcast-ready MP4 and web-optimized versions
| Scope of Work | Investment |
|---|---|
| Pre-production and story development | |
| Edit, sound mix, and colour grade | |
| Licensed music score | |
| 2 rounds of revisions | |
| Final delivery — broadcast MP4 and web versions | |
| Community Story Total | $12,500 |
Every Kahani production includes a complimentary set of social and donor assets to support your anniversary fundraising campaign.
Rainbow Refugee — The Space Between
A short documentary about a patron at one of hcma's community centres who turns out to be the founder of Rainbow Refugee — an organization that helps LGBTQ2IA people flee countries where they are persecuted for their identities.
Video Essay
A longer editorial film, 8 to 15 minutes, built around a single theme or argument. For VAST, this could be the story of how a Canadian model for refugee mental health was built over 40 years, told through the voices of the people who built it. It draws on archival material and brings in multiple voices to celebrate the work and achievements of the organization while advocating for the support it deserves.
It is the right format when you have one powerful story to tell and you want to tell it with depth.
- 8 to 15 minute editorial documentary
- Multi-voice structure with archival integration
- Edit, sound mix, and colour grade
- Licensed music score
- 2 rounds of revisions
- Final delivery in broadcast-ready MP4 plus a shorter grant application cut
| Scope of Work | Investment |
|---|---|
| Pre-production, story development, and archival research | |
| Multi-voice edit, sound mix, and colour grade | |
| Licensed music score | |
| 2 rounds of revisions | |
| Final delivery — broadcast MP4 plus grant application cut | |
| Video Essay Total | $18,500 |
Every Kahani production includes a complimentary set of social and donor assets to support your anniversary fundraising campaign.
Canadian Fur Farming Exposed
This style of filmmaking helped advocate for change in a complex narrative — weaving multiple voices together into something that educates and moves people to act.
Org Reel
A 5 to 15 minute flagship film that covers the full scope of VAST as an organization — its history, its programs, and the people who have shaped it. Where the Video Essay follows one thread, the Org Reel holds many. It is produced from a larger body of footage and delivered in multiple cuts: a full version for your open house, a shorter version for major donor meetings, and a web version for your homepage.
Each cut serves a different context, and together they become the most versatile film asset VAST has.
- 5 to 15 minute organizational film
- Full edit, sound mix, and colour grade
- Licensed music score
- 2 rounds of revisions
- Final delivery — broadcast MP4, event screening version, and a shorter donor outreach cut
| Scope of Work | Investment |
|---|---|
| Pre-production and story development | |
| Full edit, sound mix, and colour grade | |
| Licensed music score | |
| 2 rounds of revisions | |
| Final delivery — broadcast MP4, event version, and donor cut | |
| Org Reel Total | $25,000 |
The most complete asset bundle we produce. Everything you need to run a full anniversary fundraising campaign across digital and major donor channels.
E4E Org Reel
A full organizational film covering who E4E is, what they do, and why they exist. This is the format and scope we would bring to VAST's Org Reel.
The Kahani process.
The Listening Journey
Before any camera rolls, we have conversations. With your team and the people at the centre of the story. Not scripted interviews. Real conversations. That becomes the creative brief for everything that follows.
Trust before cameras
Everyone who appears in a Kahani film has been in conversation with us first. They know what we are making and they want to be part of it. That shows up on screen in a way you cannot fake.
One shoot, many assets
Every production is planned from the start to produce content across multiple formats. The full asset library is mapped before we film so nothing ends up unused.
You own everything
All raw files, licensed materials, and source assets are yours. Full handoff at the close of every project.
Built around October.
Your open house is in October. Pre-production needs to begin by June or July to have a film ready for premiere.
How to move forward.
Your October open house is a good moment to premiere a film. We would love to be part of it.
- 1Review this proposal and send any questions to Inder or Tricia.
- 2Confirm which option fits VAST's goals and budget for the anniversary.
- 3We issue a simple agreement and a deposit invoice — 50% on signing, 50% on delivery.
- 4Kickoff call within 48 hours of signing to begin the Listening Journey.