JESSE HARRIS DID, AND STARTED SEATTLE'S NFFTY >>>

Let's talk numbers.

21

Jesse Harris' age when he co-founded the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (the cool kids call it NFFTY) in Seattle with Jocelyn R.C. and Kyle Seago. What had YOU accomplished by that time in your life? Probably starting your career and/or going to college, you sad underachiever you.

Actually, Harris also heard the higher calling to higher education, but ultimately listened to the moviemaker within and completed his first feature (shot mostly in Puyallup) at ...

17

But first Harris' parents had to help bankroll the project, which meant dipping into the college fund. "It took a little convincing, but I think finally they realized that no matter what they said, I was going to do it anyway," Harris laughs.

Harris wasn't going at it alone, as he soon found out. When other teenage filmmakers began taking notice and seeking him out for distribution advice, Harris started NFFTY. "There's so many other young people other there ... who have films (but) nowhere to have them screened," he says.

Like so much in life, the movie industry plays its own numbers game, doling out respect and acceptance only to those who reach some nebulous age of maturity. And despite the quality of their work, the youngest typically get overlooked. NFFTY turns six in 2012, itself a baby in the film festival universe. Yet a look at its figures for this year show otherwise.

700 - The approximate number of submissions

200 - Roughly the number of films shown at this year's fest, hailing from almost a dozen countries besides the U.S.

10,000 - The projected attendance

22 - The maximum allowable age of the films' directors

Jesse Harris

Even if he wanted to, ironically Harris can't enter the festival he started. Now 26 and relishing his role as NFFTY's artistic director, Harris firmly believes the works screening April 26-29 can hold their own against more adult-oriented festivals. "We really have the next Spielbergs and the next Scorseses (at NFFTY)," he says. Time for an all-out film fest turf war!

Nah, let's just unite and breakdance instead. Harris says you definitely must see this amazing film from Germany that he calls "breakdancing storytelling ... I can't even describe it; you just have to see it!" And En Route, a jaw-dropping visual spectacle from Baltimore's 22-year-old Colin Levy, has effects that could make John Carter look like Coach Carter.

Number of reasons you still need to check out NFFTY: 0

Find the festival schedule and purchase tickets at http://www.nffty.org. Tune into my interview with Harris this week on Volcano Radio, which airs Thursday, March 15 from 8-9 p.m. on www.nwczradio.com and is available as a podcast at www.weeklyvolcano.com directly following.