Think of it as the swede of SWEDE FEST™ PALM BEACH 2012. Only there was never a big-budget original.
Okay, so the analogy doesn’t really work, but if you were at swede fest™ palm beach 2012, you’ll recall the crew that was recording all the action. The photographers. The screaming fans. The swede directors and their entourages. The pretty blonde sticking a mic in your face and asking you to yell out “SWEDE FEST PALM BEACH!”
Or not, if you ate too many Hollywood Cupcakes and had a few too many Potions in Motion and it’s all a head-pounding sugary blur.
And if you weren’t there, this 3-minute “ode to the swede” (produced by New Vision Productions) will make you feel like you’re right there on the pleasantly neutral carpet of the Borland Center for Performing Arts that fateful Friday night in August before the lights dimmed, everyone opened their programs and took out their ballots so they could vote for the “Audience Favorite Award” from Digital Domain, swedes began to roll, and the guys from The Jove Comedy Experience started heckling the audience in a brilliant reverse stand-up comedy move.
And it was all brought to you by Mainstreet at Midtown, which is much cooler that you thought, right?
Ramal, Greg & Lamar Pitts, sweders of "Million Dollar Baby (Hit the Bag)"
Not to brag or anything, but the inaugural SWEDE FEST™PALM BEACH was an out-of-the-box smash success. Playing to a sold-out crowd of 500 last Friday night, SWEDE FEST™PALM BEACH 2012, produced by Mainstreet at Midtown at The Borland Center for Performing Arts, was high-energy entertainment for everyone involved, with “swedes” submitted by amateur filmmakers ages 10 to 60. This was a grassroots amateur film festival, in which short, DIY versions of big-budget feature films are reproduced as cheaply as possible, using family and friends as cast; bedrooms, backyards, and local parks as sets; and toys, pets, and found objects as props.
Chris Mash, director Nicole Rankin, and Kelsie Rybalk, who brought us "Hunger Games"
Filmmakers submitted 38 swedes; 23 were screened during the festival and 12 were shown in the lobby of the theatre during the hour-long festivities before SWEDE FEST™PALM BEACH 2012 got underway. Once attendees walked the red carpet and collected their tickets or VIP special-edition commemorative lanyards (both were sold online on this website as well as at the door), they could have their picture taken in front of the SWEDE FEST™PALM BEACH 2012 step-and-repeat — just like any red carpet movie event! — by AJ Shore Photography. Arts Radio Network was on hand to conduct radio interviews for their podcast, and New Vision Productions was roving the crowd interviewing film directors and attendees for a short film on SWEDE FEST™.
Kevin Sinicki, Jason Pennington, Virginia Sinicki, and Magnolia Lang, who sweded "Old School"
Potions in Motion sold beer and wine to a long line of thirsty — and patient — film fans, Hollywood Cupcakes handed out tiny explosions of joy in the form of movie-themed cupcakes (think Men in Blackberry — yum!), while DJ Joel Malkin played the soundtracks to some of our favorite films, and the students from Atlantic Arts Academy performed impromptu set pieces. The night’s biggest sponsor, The Digital Domain Institute, set up a booth in the lobby to distribute literature about its educational programs — but Digital Domain’s biggest impact, by far, was felt when everyone took a seat and the lights went down.
But before that happened, the evening’s emcees took to the stage. The Jove Comedy Experience — Frank and Jesse to their nearest and dearest — proved to be just as entertaining as the films they introduced. They stepped in when our original emcee, the Palm Beach Post’s Leslie Gray Streeter, was unable to attend, and quickly won the audience over with their rapid-fire wit, deadpan delivery and relentless heckling of anyone who dared come in late, get up to use the facilities, wear a hat, shave their head, or breathe regularly.
Our emcees, The Jove Comedy Experience...
The Digital Domain Special Events Team supported the festival by editing the master tape, creating a lead-in short film of its own about SWEDE FEST™ PALM BEACH that was shot around the area, using our festival logo on a stick and some creative voiceover to poke a bit of fun at the question, “Where is The Borland?” and interstitial graphics that made the entire production look, well…Hollywood.
The Digital Domain Institute also provided the night’s Audience Favorite Award, won by brothers Noah and Jonah Kalter (aged 10 and 11) from Stuart, for their swede of THE HULK. They were ecstatic to win a tour of the Digital Domain Tradition Studios in Port St. Lucie.
The rest of our swede-makers were a range of students from local middle and high schools (The Pine School, The Benjamin School, South Tech Academy, St. Lucie West High School, Palm Beach Gardens Community High School), film school students (G-Star), film enthusiasts, and semi-professional filmmakers.
The Kalter brothers, winners of the Audience Favorite Award for their swede of "The Hulk"
Our inaugural SWEDE FEST™ PALM BEACH was such a blockbuster we’ve already scheduled next year’s event, so mark your calendars NOW for Friday, August 2, 2013. Don’t plan that far ahead? No worries — we’ll remind you. Frequently.
Every film submitted was given credit in the night’s printed program, and in addition to the Audience Favorite Award, we gave out a few other “special” awards:
Best Misuse of Gym Equipment: I Am (A) Legend
Most Likely to Eat Pop Rocks: Jaws
Most Unsettling: 2012
Most Likely to Lose a Contact: Avatar
Best Yoda Impression: Men in Black
Most Empty Beer Bottles: The Birds
Tallying the votes for the Audience Favorite Award
Most Repetitive Dialogue: Million Dollar Baby (Hit the Bag)
Best Death Scene: Hunger Games
Most Likely to go to the Mall: Sleepover
Best Father-Son Relationship: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Most Orphans in a Garage: Annie
Most Politically Incorrect Use of Makeup: Terminator
Best Use of Blue Paper: Avatar
Best Use of Legos: The Hulk
Best Hairpiece: Footloose
Most Likely to Wear Sensible Cowboy Boots:City Slickers
Best Transition to a Completely Different Movie: Chronicle
Most Dramatic Fast Food Order: No Country For Old Men
Fewest Trains Harmed in the Making of a Film: Trainspotting
Event organizer Belle Forino and Sherri Gedraitis, both of whom work for Midtown.
Best Mustache: Old School
Best Use of Bubbles: Avatar
Most Likely to be Tom Cruise: Mission Impossible
Most Likely to be a Bunch of Hooligans – District 9
We called it a wrap after that, and headed over to Midtown’s Cantina Laredo for the VIP After Party. Thanks to everyone who submitted a swede, came to SWEDE FEST™PALM BEACH 2012, the media who wrote about and supported the event, everyone who followed us on Facebook and Twitter, joined the Fan Club through this website, and all of the great people who got involved in some way to make our little indie film festival such a great success:
The SRO crowd at The Borland Center for Performing Arts theatre for swede fest palm beach 2012
Aaron Shore Photography Alchemy Communications Group Arts Radio Network Atlantic Arts Academy Cantina Laredo Chuck Burger Joint
Digital Domain Institute Digital Domain Special Projects Team DJ Joel Malkin Elizabeth Dashiell PR Entertainment Consultants Florida Weekly Hollywood Cupcake Kinane Printing LivingFLA Mainstreet at Midtown New Times New Vision Productions Palm Beach International Film Festival Palm Beach Post Potions in Motion Ram Realty Services Sun Sentinel The Borland Center for Performing Arts The Jove Comedy Experience Wild 95.5
Tomorrow is the REALLY BEEG SHEW (you have to say this in your best Ed Sullivan voice for it to work, you know).
Yes, it’s SWEDE FEST™ PALM BEACH! Polish the tiaras, fluff the feather boas, set your berets at a jaunty angle, and practice tying the cravats, kiddies.
We’ve got red carpet, a highly sweded step-and-repeat WITH photographer (nothing but the best for you!), our own film crew shooting a non-sweded mini-doc of the First Annual SWEDE FEST™ PALM BEACH, Arts Radio Network on site to do interviews, The Digital Domain Institute and New Times handing out swag, plenty of bevvies (of the G-rated and Adult-Only kind), a live DJ, — we even have official SWEDE FEST™ PALM BEACH cupcakes!!
Plus we have a killer set of emcees (The Jove Comedy Experience), nice comfy chairs to screen some of the funniest swedes ever, and a VIP after-party at Cantina Laredo with drink specials for ticket holders. We’re just piling on the fun, peeps. Get there at 6:00PM sharp or you’ll miss out on the festive parts.
This extravaganza is brought to you by Mainstreet at Midtown, which is pretty cool when you think about it.
Now that all the swedes are in, we’re working on making the first annual SWEDE FEST™ PALM BEACH a totally kick-A event. The technical wizards at The Digital Domain Institute are putting all of the submitted swedes together for your viewing pleasure and a glitch-free (yes, we are truly tempting fate by making such a proclamation) screening a mere 10 days from now.
In case you missed any of the billion Facebook posts, Tweets, or updates to this website, here are some of the reasons you should plan on arriving at 6:00 PM on Friday, August 3rd. Yes, the festival doesn’t “officially” start until 7:00 pm, but arrive then and you could miss out on…
Being featured in our special ode-to-swede-fest-palm-beach film shooting that night with New Vision Productions.
Being one of the film makers and attendees interviewed by Caroline Breder-Watts of Arts Radio Network (formerly of the local NPR station WXEL).
Sipping an alcohol-based libation provided by Potions in Motion. There is also a lovely coffee bar with snacks in the lobby as well for those who just want a caffeine and/or sugar rush.
Appreciating the mad skills of DJ Joel Malkin from 1290AM, who will be “spinning” great tuneage from your favorite movie soundtracks (think Pulp Fiction, O Brother Where Art Thou?, From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, The Breakfast Club).
Having your picture taken against the official swede fest palm beach “step-and-repeat” backdrop we crafted especially for photos we can send out to the media.
Frank and Jesse -- otherwise known as The Jove Comedy Experience
Amateur Film Festival Will Have ‘Audience Favorite Award’ Provided by The Digital Domain Institute
On Friday, July 27th, at 7:00PM, swede fest™ palm beach and The Digital Domain Institute are pairing up to recognize the most “original remakes” at this first annual amateur film festival. Hosted at the dining and shopping destination Mainstreet atMidtown, swede fest™ palm beach takes place in Palm Beach Gardens’ state-of-the-art theatre facility Borland Center of Performing Arts located at 4885 PGA Boulevard (just west of Military Trail). Tickets are $5.
BUT WHAT’S A SWEDE, YOU ASK? A “swede” is a no-budget, laughably bad remake of a Hollywood film. The term comes from the 2008 comedy, Be Kind Rewind, which started an underground sweding craze and resulted in the first swede fest™ in Fresno, CA. Next came swede fest™ tampa bay, and now Midtown is rolling out the very first swede fest™ palm beach.
Entries are open, and targeted to all students, film buffs, creative types, film lovers, and professionals, or simply anyone with any type of camera. It is free to enter a film but ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 13th.The festival embraces the highly amateur nature of “sweding” while supporting creativity within the community.
“We have a vibrant film-making community here, and we wanted to tap into that creative group and bring them to Midtown. Obviously we’re ecstatic to have the DIGITAL DOMAIN INSTITUTE involved!” says Belle Forino, Marketing Coordinator for Mainstreet at Midtown.
There are a few RULES for the entries. Films must be under three minutes and PG-13, even if the “source material” is not. This means finding creative ways to get around violence, objectionable language, and nudity. Guidelines are on the swede fest™ palm beach website, along with example swedes such as The Breakfast Club, Wayne’s World, and Se7en.
The audience is encouraged to dress in their finest berets, cravats, safari vests, or other directorial cliché’s. Emcee for theevening will be LESLIE STREETER from thePALM BEACH POST.
For those interested in sweding a film, email info@swedepalmbeach.com to call dibs on your movie. Swede-makers are encouraged to embrace the amateur nature of sweding and opt to use found objects rather than spending any real money making these movies.
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EVENT: swede fest™ palm beach
AWARDS: Under 18 & Over 18 Audience Favorites
WHEN: Friday, July 27, 7:00 PM
FILMS DUE: By July 13th
WHERE: Midtown’s Borland Center of Performing Arts
4885 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens FL 33418
