Jesse Harris, Filmmaker: It’s a very outdated system. I think there’s a lot of problems with it. It means a lot of really good films probably don’t get made and a lot of films with the same silly actors we’ve seen a million times over always in the same movies because…
Film Courage: How confident were you in pitching this movie [Borrego] and selling it to investors?
Jesse: I think having this proof of concept that I made was super helpful to both give me the confidence because I knew I’d made something really great with that, but then I just knew it was also going to make it so much easier to sell the movie to people. But I knew no one, I have no friends or family connection to the industry, I have no agent or manager (I still don’t even as of right now). It’s such an outside world Hollywood, the true system right? It’s not very welcoming to outsiders. I mean it’s very tough to break those walls and so it just took a lot of time and by being super persistent. I just never gave up and that’s really how this movie got made because there’s plenty of times where I thought Man this is never gonna happen, I should give up but I didn’t, I just kept going. That’s really how this movie got made. Almost no other of course their script was good, the proof of concept was good, I got lots of luck along the way but more than anything it was just this persistence of not giving up and continuing to fight for it and just telling myself I was going to make this movie. It doesn’t matter if I was like a hundred years old by the time I got it made, I was going to make this movie one way or the other at some point. I think that’s just how it got made.
Film Courage: So no agent or manager and the film opens in 10-ish days in theaters and on-demand right?
Jesse: You basically rent it wherever you can rent things and then it’ll be in I think 10 different cities the first weekend.
Film Courage: Wow, okay so when you hear people say Well I don’t have an agent or manager was that you at one time saying this or was that again resourcefulness?
Jesse: I think after having a little bit of a window into it when I made this first feature when I was in high school basically and then spending a decade or so kind of adjacent to the industry but not really in it by doing a film festival and directing commercials, I think I just I realized enough that it’s very difficult to do anything but that this industry it doesn’t really want to go and find people. It really wants to wait until you already have something for them and they’ll maybe find you…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
BIO:
Jesse Harris started his filmmaking career early, writing and directing his first feature when he was 17. He opted against college and used the money to fund his feature that he wrote and directed, which was eventually picked up for US theatrical distribution and by HBO Europe. In 2007, to support other young filmmakers, Jesse founded NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth), which has grown into the largest and most prestigious youth film festival in the world. Jesse put his filmmaking career on hold for several years to support other young directors and build a premier showcase for aspiring directors. Variety named Jesse one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment and was named one of City Arts Magazine’s Top 50 Culture Makers. His feature was shortlisted for the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards ‘Someone to Watch’ Award and was one of 20 features invited to the 2004 IFP New York Film Market. Jesse’s recently been named a Global Shaper, an initiative of the World Economic Forum, built around young entrepreneurs and do-gooders. Jesse returned to filmmaking in the commercial world, now bringing years of experience crafting beautiful stories for brands. His commercial work has been seen on TV around the world, working with clients such as Volvo, Microsoft, Disney and more. His 2018 short film, Wind in the Night was one of seven films selected for the 2019 Prix SNCF du Polar in France and picked up for distribution in France, Asia, UK and USA. The film was a proof of concept for his next feature, Borrego (available January 14, 2022).
WATCH ‘WIND IN THE NIGHT’ (Proof Of Concept Short Film)
CONNECT WITH JESSE HARRIS
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