Annual Ottawa Canadian Film Festival kicks off this weekend

Ottawa Canadian Film Festival Blair Campbell previews some of the Canadian films that will be featured at the festival.

A short film festival will be taking place at the Bytowne Cinema this weekend to celebrate local and independent movie makers.

The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival (OCFF) kicked off Thursday. It will run until Sunday.

Ottawa is home to many talented film makers, and the OCFF's purpose is to provide them a platform to be seen, Blair Campbell, co-founder of Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, told CTV Morning Live Friday.

"There's an incredible range of talent in Ottawa and throughout the country in the making of independent film, so we wanted to create an opportunity for those to be seen," he said.

Here's a look at some of the movies that will be playing at the festival:

Stealing Vows

Stealing Vows is the festival's screening film. Campbell says this film makes the perfect date-night movie on Saturday, pointing out its relatable characters.

"It's a heist movie. It's funny. It's got romance," he said.

The movie's four lead actors and the director will attend the festival Saturday night. They will have a question-and-answer session with the audience after the show, he adds.

Triage

Triage is a dramatic short film. Its focus is on how one crisis in real life can bring other problems in relationships to the front. This film was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is scheduled for Friday.

Desync

Desync will also be screening at the festival. This film presents a new approach in life, especially when things are not going the way you wanted. Desync is also scheduled for Friday.

A full list of movies is available online.

The annual festival showcases the role the Canadian film industry plays in fostering local economy and displaying the country's distinctive culture.