Star Wars movie to be dubbed into Ojibwa language

On May 25, 1977, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope premiered. It was the first time we were introduced to beloved characters such as Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca and Darth Vader.

Since then, scores of sequels have been made and more films are on the way.

But before that, a dubbed Ojibwa version of the first film is expected to be shot, which Lucasfilm, the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council and the University of Manitoba have reached an agreement on, reports CBC.

The Ojibwa are today the third largest indigenous people in Canada and the United States and this will be the second time the original Star Wars film has been translated into an indigenous language.

Premiere next year

According to the producers, the reason for choosing the Ojibwa language is that it is the most widely spoken indigenous language in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario and the state of Minnesota.

They plan for the premiere of the translation to be in Winnepeg next year, but they also hope for cinema screenings across Canada.

Cary Miller of the University of Manitoba, told the CBC that the dubbed version will make the Ojibway language more accessible, especially to younger generations.

It is not yet clear who will do the voting, but people can apply for that.

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