NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) was founded by a young man named Jesse Harris who, upon graduating from high school several years ago, convinced his parents to put his entire college savings fund towards the production of a full-length independent feature film he'd written. The film, Living Life, ultimately received theatrical and television distribution, and looking to help other budding auteurs get started, Harris teamed up with two other young creatives, Jocelyn R.C., and Kyle Seago, to start NFFTY. Members of the younger generation are largely barred from submitting films to what's known as the "festival circuit," so Harris flipped the rules with NFFTY which only takes submissions from filmmakers who are 22 years of age or younger. Essentially, if an 8-year-old wants to submit a music video, full-length feature, short, documentary, animated, international, or experimental film (all eligible festival categories), he or she can.

Now in its third year, NFFTY attracts hundreds of aspiring filmmakers, along with their families, friends, and fans, to participate in screenings, parties, industry-themed workshops and panels, and music performances (this year's lineup includes IG fave Lykke Li). All selected films, 70+ in total, will be screened for a panel of jurors and a live audience the weekend of April 24-26th in Seattle. With 60% of the audience under the age of 25, the scene is a real hotbed of talent and innovation and, as some of the festival's forward-thinking sponsors (including Volvo, Chipotle, Comcast, and TOMS Shoes) and industry affiliates (including HBO, Participant Media, and TheFilmSchool) have already figured out, a major sweet spot for an increasingly important target demographic. Tapping into attendees' and sponsors' altruistic aspirations, NFFTY will use this year's festival as a launch pad for NFFTY Earth, a new program aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the festival that will tie in films with eco and social justice themes.