Ojibwe language version of Star Wars to hit Winnipeg theatres
Star Wars: A New Hope is rocketing back into theatres – in a completely new way.
For the first time ever, Star Wars has been translated and re-dubbed into Ojibwe.
"To translate all these futuristic terms into our language, which is very ancient, that was a huge challenge," said Pat Ningewance the lead translator for the project. "But also very exciting!"
The translators couldn't simply just use The Force to make the translation happen – it also required a rebel alliance so to speak.
Officials say the idea was pitched to Lucasfilm back in 2021, and a number of people worked to translate the iconic script into the Ojibwe language.
"The word for hyperdrive in English has two parts, the hyper which is super, super crazy. And then there's the drive part. So we, we basically just broke it down the same way," said Aandeg Muldrew, a translator on the project and the voice of Luke Skywalker.
Bringing those words to life was a different challenge for the voice actors. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are silver screen icons with very distinctive interpretations of the characters.
Theresa Eischen, the voice actor for Princess Leia, said she took her lead from the Hollywood stars.
"I recorded each line that Princess Leia said, as Carrie Fisher said them," said Eischen. "And then I would automatically say them in English first to get the sound, the way she sounded. Then I would say them in Anishinaabemowin. And it just came together after that."
The result is a new take on the galaxy far, far away --- one that people involved in the project believe will resonate with Indigenous audiences.
"Maybe some of them for the first time, get to see Star Wars and see and hear it in their Indigenous language, and connect with this story that is pretty universal," said Ajuawak Kapashesit, the voice of Han Solo.
The Ojibwe version of Star Wars: A New Hope debuts on Aug. 8 at the Centennial Concert Hall.
A couple days after, the movie will get a limited release in some theatres across Winnipeg and in other cities.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
Over 200 firearms seized in Waterloo weapons investigation
According to police, during a traffic stop officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
Timeline: The rise and fall of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political fortunes
In the wake of the NDP withdrawing its automatic support of the minority Liberal government, here is a timeline of key events charting the arc of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's fortunes in federal politics.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Jannik Sinner beats Taylor Fritz in U.S. Open men's final, weeks after failed doping test
Jannik Sinner beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 with a relentless baseline game to win the U.S. Open men’s championship on Sunday, less than three weeks after being exonerated in a doping case.
The controversial plan to turn a desert green
Ties van der Hoeven's ambitions are nothing if not grand. The Dutch engineer wants to transform a huge stretch of inhospitable desert into green, fertile land teeming with wildlife.
Mother of Georgia shooting suspect called school to warn of emergency, aunt says
The mother of the 14-year-old who has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of four people at his Georgia high school called the school before the killings, warning staff of an 'extreme emergency' involving her son, a relative said.