The inaugural China Canada gateway for film script competition, a partnership between Telefilm Canada and the Whistler Film Festival, is now accepting story ideas from local writer/producer teams.

With up to $15 million in production financing on the table, writer/producer teams have until Aug. 17 to submit an application and script synopsis to potentially be one of a dozen finalists.

The finalists, to be named by Oct. 31, 2012, will compete in a pitch competition at the Whistler Film Festival’s Summit the following month on Nov. 29.

The competition aims to introduce Canadian writer/producer teams to Chinese studios, who are working with the Beijing-based China Film Group to forge possible Canadian-China co-productions.

“China is especially attractive to forge co-production deals, as it can help assure the distribution of films into the massive Chinese marketplace,” Harry Sutherland, chairman of Whistler’s China Canada gateway for film committee, said Monday in a statement.

During the Whistler Summit, each director/producer team will pitch a script synopsis to a panel of up to five international experts and three Chinese producers.

At least three projects will be chosen for development in 2012, and a total of nine projects will be backed over three years.

The expected average project budget is $5 million.

The Whistler Film Festival is set to run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2, 2012.