CINE LATINO Film Festival: Runa Simi

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About

13th Cine Latino Film Festival

Sunday, October 12 at 12:00 PM

Stay after the film for a performance by Mi Perú – Peruvian folkloric dance.
Join us for performances by Peruvian dancers from Mi Perú and Ecuadorian dance group Away Runakuna between screenings of RUNA SIMI at 12pm and THE INVENTION OF SPECIES at 2:30pm.

ABOUT THE FILM

In South America, there are 10 million people who speak Quechua, yet no film has ever been dubbed in this language. Fernando Valencia, a radio host and independent dubbing artist, wants to change that and embarks first on a small project called Quechua Clips. Aided by his son Dylan, he dubs scenes from famous films into Quechua and uploads them to the internet so that millions of Quechua-speaking people can enjoy these glimpses of cinematic magic. But Fernando’s big dream is to fully dub the animated film The Lion King, his all-time favorite. The big obstacle is that he needs to get the go-ahead from The Walt Disney Company.

Runa Simi, Augusto Zegarra's debut feature documentary, Winner of the Best New Documentary Director Award at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Young Jury Award at Sheffield DocFest 2025, is a deeply moving testament to that cinema, in addition to entertaining, can also inspire audiences to change the world. To the beat of “Hakuchu Munayta,” the Quechua translation Fernando chooses to dub “Hakuna Matata,” Runa Simi offers a solution for preserving endangered languages: dubbing as a tool of resistance.

RUNA SIMI – En español

En Sudamérica, hay 10 millones de personas que hablan quechua, pero nunca una película ha sido doblada a este idioma. Fernando Valencia, locutor de radio y doblador independiente, quiere cambiar esto y se embarca primero en un pequeño proyecto llamado Quechua Clips. Con la ayuda de su hijo Dylan, dobla escenas de películas famosas al quechua y las sube a internet para que millones de personas quechua hablantes puedan disfrutar de estos fragmentos de magia cinematográfica. Pero el gran sueño de Fernando es doblar completamente la película animada El Rey León, su favorita de todos los tiempos. El gran obstáculo es que necesita obtener el visto bueno de la Compañia Walt Disney. Runa Simi, el primer largometraje documental de Augusto Zegarra, ganador del Premio a la Mejor Nueva Dirección de Documentales en el Festival de Cine de Tribeca y del Premio del Jurado Joven en Sheffield DocFest 2025, es un testimonio profundamente conmovedor de que el cine, además de entretener, también puede inspirar al público a cambiar el mundo. Al ritmo de “Hakuchu Munayta”, la traducción quechua que Fernando elige llamar “Hakuna Matata”, Runa Simi ofrece una solución para preservar lenguas en peligro: el doblaje como herramienta de resistencia.

PRESENTED BY MSP FILM SOCIETY

Cine Latino returns October 8–12 to The Main Cinema for five days of Spanish- and Portuguese-language films, special guests, fiestas, food trucks, and more! The 13th annual celebration of US Latino, Latin American, and Ibero Cinema honors the longstanding film traditions across these communities, showcasing a richness of stories, the beauty of place, and vibrant cultures through the power of film.