With many movie theaters still closed and few new releases available to those that aren’t, it’s time for movie lovers to take matters into their own hands. Rowhouse Online is introducing The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations, a feature-length complication of homegrown “Sweded” films will premiere November 30 in virtual cinemas and, where possible, select cinemas nationwide. Entries are eligible for submission now.
Whether they act like Lawrence of Arabia in a sandbox, spit up some split-pea soup from their own bedrooms, or make Peter Pan fly using kitchen utensils, first-time filmmakers and pros alike can make a “Sweded” film and have moviegoers nationwide marvel at their ingenuity and pure, raw humor.
“Sweded” films have nothing to do with Sweden and everything to do with Michel Gondry’s 2008 film Be Kind, Rewind, in which video store employees ruin an entire store’s worth of videos and cover their mistake by making hilarious and bizarre short remakes of the actual films. That’s the inspiration for The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations, a local Pittsburgh tradition since 2017 that’s now going national.
“…video store employees…cover their mistake by making hilarious and bizarre short remakes of the actual films.”
The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations is accepting entries through Sunday, Nov. 15. To enter, filmmakers need to buy a $10 “entry ticket” online – a link is available at http://rowhouse.online – and upload their film. The cost of the entry ticket also includes a free viewing of The Sweded Festival for Creative Re-Creations when it debuts online. Registration is open only until Nov. 1, so film fans are encouraged to get creative and act quickly. Films must be no longer than five minutes; full set of entry rules and filmmaking guidelines can be found at The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations website.
“Movie lovers have spent all spring and summer watching and re-watching their favorite movies and yearning for a creative outlet, so 2020 is the perfect year to bring Sweded films to a national audience,” said Brian Mendelssohn, owner of Pittsburgh’s Row House Cinema, where the idea for The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations began. “We’re all feeling off-kilter and weird these days, and that’s what Sweded films are all about. We can’t wait to see what film fans across the country have to show us – let’s seem ’em short, cheap, and out of control!”
All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, who will select entrants to be part of the feature-length The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations, which will be available online, through virtual cinema, and may (depending on local availability) play in select independent cinemas. In addition, judges will award cash prizes for the best “Sweded” films in multiple categories. As a virtual cinema offering, about half the revenue of each ticket sold will go directly to participating theaters. A full list of locations will be available in November at http://rowhouse.online.
