RUKELI, the animated short film directed by Alessandro Rak, has been selected for the 27th edition of the Lucania Film Festival, a long-running international event dedicated to independent cinema, taking place in Pisticci from 5 to 9 August.

The film will compete in the International Section – Short Animation Film and will be screened on Saturday, 8 August, as part of Block M, starting at 9:30 PM, at Sala Piccola – Piazzetta Giannantonio, Pisticci.

Director Alessandro Rak will also attend the screening and meet the festival audience.

Through the expressive language of animation, RUKELI tells the story of Johann “Rukeli” Trollmann, the Sinti boxer who faced discrimination and persecution in Nazi Germany, defending his talent, dignity, and identity until the very end.

The selection at the Lucania Film Festival marks another important step in the film’s journey and offers a new opportunity to bring to audiences a story of sport, identity, discrimination, and resistance, told through the distinctive power of animation.

We are delighted that RUKELI will have the opportunity to meet the audience in Pisticci and to take part in a festival that has been promoting independent cinema and new forms of audiovisual storytelling for over twenty-five years.