Whistler Film Festival launches China Canada Gateway for Film Script Competition

Got a killer movie idea? Well, doesn't everybody?

But can you imagine getting the chance to crack the world's second largest cinema market?

If you're an experienced Canadian writer/producer team with a kickass story idea for a movie, you might want to consider submitting it to the newly launched China Canada Gateway for Film Script Competition, presented by the Whistler Film Festival, Telefilm Canada, and the state-run China Film Group, China's sole importer of foreign films.

The competition was first announced at last year's Whistler Film Festival but the call for applications was announced today.

It's an opportunity to pitch your ideas to Chinese studios, with as much as $15 million in coproduction financing. (The average project budget is expected to be approximately $5 million.)

Applications and script synopses are due by August 17 and 12 finalists will be announced by October 31. The finalists will pitch their script synopses to a panel (consisting of up to five international experts and three Chinese production companies) at the WFF's Summit (which runs from November 28 to 30) on November 29.

Three projects will be selected for development in 2012 (with a total of nine projects chosen over three years).

Chinese coproductions manage to avoid China's film quotas on imported films and also earn higher rental rates than imports.

All projects must be suitable for the Chinese domestic and international markets, and must be for films that will be rated PG. All genres are welcome but a word of advice from organizers: romantic comedies and action thrillers are recommended while Chinese historical dramas are discouraged.

One member of the team must be a Canadian citizen.

For full details, including guidelines and application forms, visit the WFF website.

In other WFF news, there's only a few more days to get tickets to the festival's summer solstice shebang, Whistler Film Festival on Location, on Thursday (June 21). It's being held at North Shore Studios (555 Brooksbank Avenue, North Vancouver) from 7 to 11 p.m.

Special guests will include Christopher Heyerdahl (Sanctuary), Ryan Kennedy (Whistler), and Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls, Sisters & Brothers). Ali Milner will sing live. There'll also be Pacific Northwest cuisine from Araxi, CinCin, West, Blue Water and Thierry; drinks from Sterling Vineyards, Whistler Brewery and Ketel One Vodka; and a live and silent auction and a raffle.

The evening will be hosted by CTV News anchor Keri Adams.

Tickets can be purchased online and are $125 per person (or $100 for groups of 10 people).

You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig. You can also follow Straight Movies on Twitter at www.twitter.com/straightmovies.