SPOTLIGHT FILM: RUNA SIMI

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.

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Virtual Q&A with Director Augusto Zegarra and Fernando Valencia

 

Festivals:

• Miami Film Festival (Winner, Audience Award)

• Palm Springs International Film Festival (Winner, Best Ibero-American Film)

• Tribeca Film Festival (Winner, Best New Documentary Director)

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