Screen Ireland-supported Kneecap and Bring Them Down win at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs)
Posted: 9th December 2024
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate the teams behind Screen Ireland-supported films Kneecap and Bring Them Down on their British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) award wins last night. Christopher Andrews’ Irish-set thriller Bring Them Down won The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director, while Rich Peppiatt’s highly acclaimed Irish-language film Kneecap picked up seven awards, including the top prize of Best British Independent Film.
Kneecap was the leading film across the BIFA nominations this year, with an incredible 14 nominations for the film, of which it won 7, becoming the top winner on the night. Its wins included Best British Independent Film, Best Joint Lead Performance, alongside four craft awards presented last month, including Best Editing. Based on the origin story of the riotous and ground-breaking Irish-language rap trio Kneecap, the film is set in west Belfast in 2019, chronicling how fate brings the trio together and how they then go on to “change the sound of Irish music forever”. The film received its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, where it became the first Irish-language film to win the Audience Award in the festival’s NEXT strand and has been released in Irish and international cinemas to critical acclaim.
The film is an Irish/UK co-production, produced by Jack Tarling and Trevor Birney for Fine Point Films and Mother Tongues Films, and Patrick O’Neill for Wildcard. 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.
Kneecap is Ireland’s official selection for the 2025 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
Bring Them Down is an Irish-set thriller written and directed by Christopher Andrews, and starring Christopher Abbott, Barry Keoghan, Colm Meaney, Nora-Jane Noone, Paul Ready and Susan Lynch. Michael, the last son of a shepherding family, lives with his ailing father, Ray. Burdened by guilt over the death of his mother, Michael has isolated himself from the world. When a conflict with rival farmer Gary and his son Jack escalates, Michael is drawn into a devastating chain of events, forcing him to confront the horrors of his past and leaving both families permanently altered.
The film was produced by Irish production company Tailored Films, Wild Swim and MUBI, and co-produced by Frakas Productions, VOO et Be tv and Shelter Prod in association with Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, RTÉ and the UK Global Screen Fund. Bring Them Down will be released in Irish cinemas on February 7th 2025.
Irish film and creative talent were strongly represented across the BIFAs, with further wins at last night’s ceremony for Irish film On Becoming A Guinea Fowl.