Roque Rodriguez, Filmmaker and Founder of Swede Fest

Today, we have Roque Rodriguez on the show. Roque is a Fresno based filmmaker and creative working to cultivate a vibrant and diverse film community throughout the San Joaquin Valley. After growing up in the rural farming town of Firebaugh, Rodriguez earned his degree in graphic arts from Brooks College in Los Angeles, only to eventually plant himself in what he calls the “Goldilocks” city of Fresno. In 2008, Rodriguez founded the independent film festival Swede Fest — a quirky collection of locally produced Hollywood remakes using low budget resources and high key creativity. Swede Fest became a cultural institution in Fresno, inspiring multiple satellite festivals across the country and garnered submissions from around the globe. Though the film festival ended in 2023, the legacy of Swede Fest carries on in a new generation of filmmakers who were able to dip their toes in an art form often seen as difficult to break into.

In 2025, Rodriguez launched his newest project: Cen Cal Cinema — an all ages, free film screening series hosted in communities throughout the Central Valley that might otherwise lack access to a movie theater. By removing travel and cost barriers, Cen Cal Cinema hopes to make film more accessible and democratic, while also celebrating the unique ways that cinema can foster community bonding, harkening back to Rodriguez’s own personal experiences.