In a few days, Rukeli by Alessandro Rak will have its world premiere at the Venice Biennale, in the Orizzonti Out of Competition section.

The trailer premiered on La Repubblica alongside an article by Arianna Finos featuring an interview with the director. The film draws inspiration from the story of Johann “Rukeli” Trollmann, a Romani boxer persecuted by the Nazi regime. More than 500,000 Roma and Sinti were executed in concentration camps. Captured by the Gestapo, Rukeli became prisoner 721/1943 and, when challenged by a kapo, chose to react despite knowing the brutal consequences he would face.

The project was coordinated by the association chi rom e…chi no, involving young Roma and Italian participants from Naples and Scampia within the international Tracer project, to tell a collective story of memory recovery. The short film began as a workshop exercise and evolved into a political and memorial act.

According to Alessandro Rak, this story touches a raw nerve today because it recalls tragedies that we are unfortunately witnessing again in the present, including those unfolding in Gaza. It is a call to refocus on humanity and on the foundations of coexistence among peoples, confronting one of the darkest chapters of history.