“Remarkable...
RUNA SIMI brings together
self-expression and place.”
”
RUNA SIMI
A film by Augusto Zegarra
(Peru, 2025, 81 min. In Quechua and Spanish with English subtitles)
Fernando Valencia, a 29-year-old voice artist from Cusco, Peru, is an Indigenous activist, painter, and devoted single father. Known for his uncanny ability to voice multiple characters, he launched Quechua Clips—a viral project that reimagines iconic animated scenes in Quechua, the ancestral language of the Incas, also known as Runa Simi. The response was overwhelming: millions of Quechua speakers hungry for stories in their own language.
Fueled by this groundswell of support, Fernando sets his sights on an ambitious and quixotic dream—to dub Disney’s 1994 classic The Lion King into Quechua, with the help of his spirited eight-year-old son, Dylan. Armed with a homemade studio and relentless resolve, Fernando navigates countless ups and downs, facing rejection, setbacks, and self-doubt. Yet through it all, his determination never wavers, turning his personal mission into a powerful call for language justice and cultural reclamation
Friday, August 28 — Thursday, September 3
DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema
87 Lafayette Street, New York City / (212) 966-4510
For tickets and more information visit: https://www.dctvny.org/s/firehouse-film/
Special Q&As with Director Augusto Zegarra and Protagonist Fernando Valencia:
Friday, August 28, 8pm: Moderated by Carlos Gutierrez, Executive Director, Cinema Tropical
Saturday, August 29, 7:30pm: Moderated by Daniel Alarcon, novelist/journalist/radio producer
Sunday, August 30, 12:30pm: Moderated by Darinka Arones, director/photographer/artist
Monday, August 31, 3:30pm: Moderated by Amy Goodman, journalist and Host of Democracy Now!
Tuesday, September 1: Moderated by Odi Gonzales, Professor and leader of the Quechua Language and Culture Program at NYU. Co-presented by CLACS NYU.
Wednesday, September 2, 5pm: Moderated by Melina León, filmmaker
Watch the trailer:
