What were you doing when you were 17? Me??? I was in high school in Las Vegas spending my weeks in a Physics lab wanting to know who Schrödinger was and why we were learning about his cat…trying to muster up the nerve to ask Delilah McCafferty if she would go with me to the spring formal…tuning my '66 Ford Fairlane kitted out with a 289 engine and a Paxton supercharger…late nights…sneakin' out…you know the rest.

What was Jesse doing when he was 17? He decided to make a movie…and not just a 'running around with your vacation camcorder - put it together on your PC to show your friends on YouTube' type movie. No sir…Jesse wrote and directed a serious feature film about a young boy battling cancer and the ways that it affected those around him. That film, "Living Life", received a number of festival nods and in 2004 made him the youngest known American director to obtain a multi-city theatrical release and distribution of a film.

Not bad right??? But it he didn't stop there…

Jesse went on to secure deals with HBO and the like, made a movie about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina called "Journey To The Gulf" that received rave reviews, was tapped by Volvo to do a commercial and oh yeah…started a film festival.

In 2007 Jesse co-founded the National Film Festival For Talented Youth (NFFTY) as a way for young filmmakers to showcase their talents. Seeing an emerging trend in the number of environmentally themed movies being submitted this year's festival featured a 'green' category.

"The environment is something that kids really care about today…" says Jesse,  "and films are a good way to get the message across that this is real and we should be doing something about it."

NFFTY has the goal to become the most influential youth-oriented film festival in America. The festival showcases films by filmmakers (21 and under) from across the country and hosts a number of panel discussions, workshops and other year-round filmmaking activities in Seattle, WA.

"You know you can use a film to tell a good story, entertain you or even make you laugh…but you can also use a film to get an important message across and make change in the world."

For his efforts in bringing about environmental and social change through film we applaud Jesse Harris and recognize that he IS Project Green.