Ever thought of recreating your favorite scenes in cinema or watching them reimagined? Now is your chance!

Fresno’s beloved film festival, Swede Fest, is back in town after a brief break and making its anticipated return this May.

The one-of-a-kind festival encourages filmmakers of all ages and abilities to craft homemade recreations of well-known movies by Monday, April 21.

Swede Fest entries can be a summary of full films, specific scenes, or even trailers.

“It’s a way to put yourself into your favorite movie and interpret it however you like,” Swede Fest co-founder, Bryan Harley, said, “Its a fun creative exercise that anybody in the community can get involved in.”

The only requirements: Submissions must be family-friendly and no longer than 4 minutes.

The festival will show every submission, as long as it follows guidelines.

Learn more about how to submit your film here.

Swede Fest will screen submitted films on May 2, from 6:30p.m. to 8:30p.m. at Royce Hall on the Fresno High School campus.

The festival, a Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC) project, is free and open to the public.

Swede Fest Junior

This year, organizers, in collaboration with Fresno Unified School District, have introduced a new category: Swede Fest Junior.

The competition allows entries from K-12 students, shinning a spotlight on young filmmakers.

The festival hopes this will inspire the next generation of festival participants.

Harley encourages young participates and newcomers to think outside the box, sharing an example rethinking Pulp Fiction, a rated R film, with food as guns in order to meet guidelines.

“That’s what makes Swede Fest special, the sort of humorous nature of it and the fact that its ‘do it yourself’,’ ” Harley tells GV Wire, “Its very inclusive. We try to underscore that you don’t need to have experience as a filmmaker or making videos.”

History of Swede Fest

Swede Fest is a Fresno tradition dating to 2008 that’s intended to celebrate the joy of filmmaking and power of community storytelling — no Hollywood budget required.

The festival was halted in 2023. It is now back in action thanks to Fresno Unified videography and photography teachers.

The FUSD educators fought for the festival’s return, which had become a learning tool in the classroom and loved by students.

This petitioning drove coordinators to create Swede Fest Junior.

“Be Kind Rewind,” a 2008 movie directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jack Black, inspired the festival.

The film dubs the term “swede,” referring to low-budget movie parodies that utilize homemade props, costumes, and sets. The oftentimes hilarious films promote creativity — intentionally low-tech and always entertaining.