Director: Augusto Zegarra
Fernando, a Peruvian single father, sits in an audio-recording room with his young son Dylan, recording voices together from Spanish into Quechua — their indigenous language. Fernando provides careful but spirited direction to Dylan, who nails the specific intonation. What seems as a playful game between a father and son is actually a treasured creative hobby for Fernando, who has dubbed online clips of many animated movies into Quechua. As a voice actor who’s always had an interest in crafting voices and dialects, Fernando uses his platform as a radio host in his native Cusco to create content in Quechua, enabling this language to thrive and not be forgotten. “Our language Quechua,” affirms Fernando, “is like life itself.”
All too quickly, Fernando’s online hobby of dubbing film clips goes viral — and it spurs him to pursue his most ambitious goal yet: fully dub Disney’s animated “The Lion King” into Quechua. The creative hobby now becomes a real cultural endeavor.
Augusto Zegarra’s buoyant first feature Runa Simi delivers a big-hearted and emotionally-resonant story, anchored by a captivating exploration of fatherhood and cultural appreciation.—Jose Rodriguez | Tribeca Film Festival
Running Time: 81M
Following the screening will be a discussion on the importance of indigenous languages with the Honorable Lizbeth Gonzalez, part of the Stony Brook University Black and Latino Alumni Network and the Algonquian Language Revitalization Project.
Advance tickets: $10 at:
https://events.humanitix.com/pjds-fall25-runa-simi
Also check out other Entertainment events in Port Jefferson, Festivals in Port Jefferson, Arts events in Port Jefferson.
