We are thrilled to announce that Alessandro Rak’s animated film Rukeli has been selected for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in the Orizzonti Corti – Fuori Concorso section.

On Thursday, 4 September, at 5:00 pm, there will be a world premiere with an official screening as part of #1SHORT FILM GROUP.

Rukeli, directed by Alessandro Rak and written by Biagio Di Bennardo and Emma Ferulano, is a collective work born from an idea and the workshops of Chi rom e chi no, a group of Roma girls and boys from Naples and the metropolitan area, as part of the European project Tracer, who rediscovered the story of the great Roma boxer, Rukeli, who fought Nazism in the 1940s.

Rukeli was created thanks to the determination, generosity and expertise of a cross-disciplinary working group from the Chi rom e…chi no team, the ITI Galileo Ferraris in Naples, and the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, leader of the European Tracer project.

Special thanks go to Mariateresa Tagliaventi, Luca Bravi, Mara Amodio, Donatella Mandato, Vincenzo Patriciello, Seat Muharem and the group of young researchers Rasim Husic, Simon Jeve, Mersiana Jasari, Mitat Jasari, Giovanni Radosavljevic, Alessandra Aleksic, Jeve Husic and Antonio Caso.

Rukeli is dedicated to little Michelle, who died in Giugliano due to institutional neglect.

We thus have the opportunity to disseminate a film in an international context that becomes an anthem and a cry against all discrimination, racism and anti-Gypsyism.

On the 80th anniversary of Italy’s liberation from Nazi-Fascism.

Memory is a living thing. So that what happened never happens to anyone again.

AntropicA in co-production with Sideways Studios, Film i Väst in association with Mad Entertainment with the support of Film Commission Regione Campania in collaboration with Rai Cinema.

Based on an idea by Chi rom e chi no

Directed by: Alessandro Rak
Voice of Rukeli: Antonio De Matteo
Subject: Biagio Di Bennardo, Emma Ferulano
Editing: Andrea Scoppetta
Music: Marco Sica
Producer: Parsifal Reparato
Co-producers: Samir Arabzadeh, Fredrik Svensson, Jenny Luukkonen
Storyboard: Mario Civitaquale
Sound: Andreas Mellkvist
Recording V.O.: Lars Wignell
Mix: Jesper Miller
Colour: Albin Abrahamsson
Production Coordinator: Andrea De Rosa
Promotion: Mario Pistolese
Concept Art Assistants: Luca Zingone, Sergio Panariello
Graphics: Lance Maravillas
Production Assistants: Giulia Paganucci, Giulia D’Elia
Executive Producers: Emma Ferulano, Michelle Porfido

Read the news here with the official selection of the Venice Film Festival.