Roll out the red carpet, the Okotoks Film Festival starts tonight, Friday, June 2.

The Film Festival has over 60 features lined up until Sunday, June 4, beginning with a screening of The Caravan by Margot McMaster at the RPAC tonight.

Interactive Producer for the CBC series Heartland, Scott Lepp, is a judge at the Festival for best picture, he says the three films competing in this category should be used as a tool for aspiring film makers to inspire them in the future.

"I've already taken a look at the three films that have been selected for best picture, and they were fantastic, and are a prime example of what a film maker should look at in terms of making short films."

Lepp says small, local film festivals like the one held this year in Okotoks are important.

He shares it gives film makers a starting point, and even helps to boost the community economically.

"Anybody that's making films just needs to keep making films, the Okotoks Film Festival is a good starting place, hopefully festivals like this continue to pick up young film maker's films. The one thing you can say to anybody is the only way to get better is to keep doing it, and that's how I did it."

The producer is no stranger to the Foothills, working on the Heartland set for many years, and he recently filmed and directed a series here in town called Ice Blue.

He says the scenery here is part of what draws big pictures to the area.

"The Foothills is a big part of why people come to this area to film, the mountains and the foothills. We have big productions and most of them are based out of Calgary, but they're not here to film out of Calgary, they're here to film in the Foothills, surrounding areas, and the prairies."

For more information on the Okotoks Film Festival click here.

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