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NFFTY 2011 BING COMMERCIAL STARRING YOUTH FILMMAKERS

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NFFTY 2011
Coming at you with another Seattle infused NFFTY 2011 promotional short from director Jesse Harris. Starring local youth filmmakers Ben Kadie, Megan Shinner and Sam Kelly, the Bing-sponsored video humorously follows the joys and follies of shooting film projects with friends. The filmmakers talk about their experiences with NFFTY and getting into film at an early age and what about the medium drives them most. With the help of Bing “the official decision engine of NFFTY 2011,” the filmmakers avoid disaster and get the dream shot. See if you can pick out the scenes shot in downtown Seattle, at Pike Place Market and Gasworks Park. Click on the NFFTY link above to learn more about the 2011 festival and NFFTY filmmakers.
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NFFTY MAKES SPARKS FLY WITH NEW VOLVO PROMOTIONAL SHORT

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NFFTY
NFFTY revs it into high gear with this brand new promotional short, featuring 2011 Festival sponsor Volvo Cars of North America. Directed and co-written by NFFTY director Jesse Harris, the film captures a young screenwriter as he cruises down the road to creative innovation with the help of his shiny new Volvo S60. His trip down the imagination highway quite literally takes to the Seattle streets with awesome car chase sequences through SODO and Pioneer Square, not to mention some beautiful footage of the Seattle skyline. See it all for yourself below, and be sure to follow the above link to learn more about NFFTY 2011.

[vodpod id=Video.5894563&w=425&h=350&fv=]

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NFFTY WELCOMES NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

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NFFTY
NFFTY is thrilled to announce the hiring of Lindsey Johnson into the newly created position of Managing Director! Lindsey comes from a background of film production, film publicity, marketing and event production. Says NFFTY Executive Director, Jesse Harris, “Lindsey is a perfect addition to the team, she has been a NFFTY supporter for years and is going to help us continue to grow and evolve into an even bigger and better festival along with year round programming.” Follow the above link to read Lindsey’s full bio or to learn more about NFFTY staff. Congratulations all around!

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RECORD-BREAKING NUMBER OF FILMS SUBMITTED TO NFFTY 2011

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NFFTY 2011
The submission window for the 2011 National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) finished with a bang this week, with a final count of nearly 700 entries–almost twice the amount of youth-made films submitted last year. NFFTY received entries from 25 countries and 40 U.S. states, and there were also significantly more submissions from female filmmakers than in previous years. “[In an embodiment] of the theme for the 2011 Festival, ‘United By Film, Future By NFFTY,’ this year’s submissions show that despite cultural and geographic differences, all youth are drawn to share stories about the basic human emotions and condition,” NFFTY explains in an official press release. Interestingly, NFFTY programmers have also noticed that the economic downturn and tough issues felt across the globe, have had a strong impact on youth. Notes NFFTY Executive Director Jesse Harris, “Even though many of the films are uplifting and comedic, there is an increase this year in films dealing with these darker and more serious issues.” For more on NFFTY 2011, follow the above link.

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CITY ARTS’ TOP 50 SEATTLE CULTUREMAKERS

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City Arts Magazine
City Arts Magazine has published a list of Seattle’s top 50 Culture Makers, highlighting the people behind-the-scenes that “use their time and talents to lift [the region’s] artists up.” The list names eighteen local film and music stalwarts including Shannon Roach from the Vera Project, NFFTY’s Jesse Harris and Sub Pop’s Megan Jasper. Number one on their list? “You,” Seattle’s consumer of art. Congrats to everyone! We look forward to helping shape the City’s culture with you in the future!

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VARIETY NAMES NFFTY EXEC. DIR. JESSE HARRIS ONE OF 25 TALENTS WHO TRANSFORMED YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT IN 2009

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Variety
NFFTY co-founder and Executive Director Jesse Harris was one of 25 individuals honored by Variety in their annual Youth Impact Report. Fellow Impact List members included Danny Boyle, Taylor Lautner, Abigail Breslin, Jordin Sparks and more. Read Jesse’s profile and the full Youth Impact Report at the above link.

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FILM FESTIVALS THAT CATER TO KIDS

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Variety
Variety reports that young filmmakers are blooming with new cinema tools and event, such as a special youth festival circuit popping up to showcase the best of the bunch. Chicago Children’s Film Festival founder Nicole Dreiske has noted the quality of independently made youth pics has improved in recent years. Other festivals, from Los Angeles to Tribeca, feature sidebars for student-created work, but young filmmakers chafe at the idea of being stuck at the kids’ table. “Every big festival wants to have a youth section to seem like they’re supporting young filmmakers, but they separate it out so much from the rest of the festival,” says 23-year-old Jesse Harris, who persuaded his parents to let him skip college and spend the money it would have cost making his feature debut, “Living Life.” In 2007, Harris co-founded Seattle’s own National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) for work created by helmers 22 and under. This year, the event screened 113 films for more than 4,000 people over the course of three days, dividing entries (nearly all shorts) by category, rather than by age.

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Young Seattle filmmaker now focuses on NFFTY’s growth

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jesse1Seattle Times
At 23, filmmaker Jesse Harris is too old to be included in his own festival. The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), whose third-annual edition unspools next weekend, showcases the work of filmmakers 22 and younger. (Its youngest participant is 7.) But don’t feel sorry for Harris — he did squeak one music video in under the wire, made when he was still 22. His festival, created in Seattle to support other young filmmakers, has grown dramatically into a one-of-a-kind celebration.

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