Jesse Harris

Jesse Harris (born December 8, 1985) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is the founder of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY). His film, Borrego (2022), released January 14, 2022 in theaters and digital in the US and came to Netflix on May 14, 2022. Early life and education Harris was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Beginning at age 8, Harris found his love for filmmaking and started making home movies. When Harris was 17 years old, he convinced his parents that instead of going to college, he should make a feature film rather than film school. The film, LIVING LIFE was written, directed and produced by Harris in 2003 and was later picked up for distribution and released theatrically in 2005. The Seattle Times review of the film said Harris showed great promise and had talent to burn. Career In 2007, after hearing from other aspiring filmmakers after the release of his first film, Harris founded NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth). The festival aimed to support up and coming filmmakers 24 years old and younger. Under Harris' leadership, the festival grew into the largest and most prestigious youth film festival in the world.