RUKELI by Alessandro Rak has won the Animated Shorts Award at RIFF – Rome Independent Film Festival.

The festival motivated the award with the following statement:
“With RUKELI, Alessandro Rak uses animation as a language of memory and resistance, powerfully bringing back the story of Johann Wilhelm Trollmann, a Sinti boxer and victim of Nazism. The direction combines artistic sensitivity and narrative rigor, blending graphic style, rhythm, and music into a story of rare emotional intensity. A work that confirms animation’s ability to become a poetic and civic instrument, capable of giving voice to history and human dignity.”

An important recognition for a film that brings a necessary memory to the screen.