Kneecap becomes first Irish language film to win Sundance Film Festival award
Posted: 26th January 2024
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to welcome the news that Kneecap - the first Irish-language film to ever screen at the Sundance Film Festival - has won the Audience Award in the NEXT strand. The film is written and directed by Rich Peppiatt.
The win also marks the first Irish feature film since John Carney’s Once (2007) to win an award at the prestigious US film festival, and the first Irish-language film ever to do so.
Commenting on the win, Keith Potter, Head of Feature Film at Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said:
“Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate writer/director Rich Peppiatt and the entire creative team behind Kneecap on winning the Audience Award: NEXT at the Sundance Film Festival. This is a history-making achievement, and we are truly in the midst of a new wave of Irish-language filmmaking, across all genres and voices. We’re looking forward to the film making its way to audiences in Ireland and around the world this year.”
Based on the origin story of the riotous and ground-breaking Irish-language rap trio Kneecap, the film stars the band’s Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí in their acting debuts alongside Academy Award® nominated Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs, 12 Years a Slave), Simone Kirby (Hidden Assets, Jimmy’s Hall), Jessica Reynolds (Outlander), Fionnuala Flaherty (Ros na Rún) and Josie Walker (Belfast, The Wonder). Set in west Belfast in 2019, it chronicles how fate brings the trio together and how they then go on to “change the sound of Irish music forever”.
Founded in 1978, the Sundance Film Festival is the world's most prestigious festival dedicated to independent films. Irish productions that have screened at the festival in the past include John Crowley's Brooklyn, Yorgos Lanthimos's The Lobster, John Carney's Sing Street and Lee Cronin’s The Hole in the Ground.
Kneecap was the first non-US film to ever be selected for the NEXT section of the festival, and ahead of its World Premiere, was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. The film received strongly positive reviews from the festival, with the Irish Times noting it seemed “clearly destined for cult status”. The film is writer/director Rich Peppiatt’s first live-action feature following his award-winning satirical documentary One Rogue Reporter.
Kneecap was produced by Jack Tarling and Trevor Birney for Fine Point Films and Mother Tongues Films, with Patrick O’Neill at Wildcard acting as Co-Producer. Funding for the film was provided by Northern Ireland Screen, the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Coimisiún na Meán and TG4, with backing from Great Point Media.
The film will be released in cinemas by Wildcard and Curzon later this year.