A New Hope: Filmmakers Hope Ojibwe-Dubbed ‘Star Wars’ Reinvigorates Language

The original 1977 blockbuster "Star Wars" is a global phenomenon. In part, because the iconic science fiction soap opera was translated into over 50 languages and distributed far and wide.

Now you can add Ojibwe to the list of languages. And the voice actors are hoping the movie -- opening in St. Cloud, Duluth and the Twin Cities on Friday. August 30th -- marks "a new hope" for the Ojibwe langage.

The University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies estimates "there are fewer than 700 first-language Ojibwe speakers and just eight first-language Dakota speakers remain in Minnesota, most of whom are elders."

In a story from The American Council on Education, those figures reflect national trends. It continues, "Without significant intervention, nearly all Native American languages will be extinct by 2050, according to The Language Conservancy, an organization that studies and prevents language loss."

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So for Disney to dub their beloved "Star Wars" into Ojibwe, the hope is the Ojibwe language is re-introduced to the world.

Kalvin Hartwig of Washburn, Wisconsin provides the dubbed voice for "Red Leader" in the film. He says it's the first time Disney has released an Ojibwe-dubbed film. In fact, he thinks it's the first time ANY major Hollywood movie has been dubbed in Ojibwe.

Said Hartwig, "So this is really a moment to be all hands on deck to revitatalize Ojibwe. And this film will be a vehicle for that."

Take a look at the trailer:

The film premiered in Winnipeg on August 8th. And the voice-over actors walked the red carpet.

The film will be shown at Marcus Theatres in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.

That includes:

Parkwood Cinema in Waite Park
Duluth Cinema in Duluth
Oakdale Cinema in Oakdale
Southbridge Crossing Cinema in Shakopee