SYNOPSIS

In 1933, Johann Wilhelm Trollman, nicknamed Rukeli—meaning "tree" in the Sinti language—became the middleweight boxing champion in Nazi Germany. Known for his fighting style resembling a dance, Rukeli is the first Sinti, or Gypsy, to achieve this title in the world of boxing. But his success is overshadowed by the rise of racial laws. He is stripped of his title, separated from his wife and daughter, subjected to chemical castration, and imprisoned in the concentration camps of Wittenberge and Neuengamme. Reduced to a skeleton, Rukeli faces one last fight against a Nazi Kapo who recognizes and challenges him. Against all odds, Rukeli knocks out the Nazi general, symbolically toppling the entire racial power structure of the Nazi ideology. The next day, Rukeli is tortured for his victory and executed, but he dies redeemed as a champion.

GÉNÉRIQUE

• Director

  Alessandro Rak

• Production

  Samir Arabzadeh

  Parsifal Reparato

• Referent

  Parsifal Reparato

• Sales

  Samir Arabzadeh

• Script

  Emma Ferulano

  Biagio Di Bennardo