Jesse financed Living Life with profits from prior projects and donations from individuals and organizations, but     primarily with money he had saved up for college.

In 2004, Living Life was one of 20 features invited to be part of the annual IFP New York Film Market. It was also an Audience Award winner at the 2004 Orinda Film Festival. That same year Jesse was a semi-finalist for the IFP Spirit Award “Someone to Watch”.

In 2004, at the age of 18, Jesse partnered with FilmMates Entertainment for completion and distribution of Living Life, becoming the youngest known American director to obtain multi-city theatrical release and distribution of a feature film. 

Jesse also teamed up with FilmMates in setting up the Living Life Foundation, a non-profit foundation established from the film’s profits to raise money for cancer research.

Living Life was theatrically released in April 2005 and bought by HBO Central Europe and TV in Israel. Vivendi Visual Entertainment purchased Living Life for DVD distribution. 

In 2006 Jesse directed and produced Journey to the Gulf, a documentary on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The movie was produced by Los-Angeles based production company, New Ocean Pictures, which Jesse co-owns. 

In 2007 Jesse co-founded The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), a new film festival and non-profit organization to support young filmmakers 21 and under. 

Most Recently Jesse completed a new feature screenplay, Flower in the Dark, with writing partner Kevin M Huber, completed a music video for Virgin America and was a runner up in the Heinz Top This commercial contest.
 
ABOUT JESSE
 
Jesse Harris is part of the next generation of young and talented filmmakers.   At the age of 17, Jesse wrote and directed the feature length drama, Living Life.  The film tells the story of a teenage boy battling cancer and how he changes other people’s lives in the process of reconciling himself to his illness. 
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