Kneecap's feature film to debut at Sundance Film Festival tomorrow

A movie inspired by the origins of the notorious west Belfast rap group Kneecap, is taking tale of their rise to one of the world’s biggest film festival tomorrow.

Featuring Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and the balaclava-cad DJ Próvaí as themselves, the film also features Oscar award nominee Michael Fassbender.

The film is to be the first Irish language film at Sundance Film Festival, and takes place in west Belfast in 2019. Kneecap details a semi-fictionalised account of how the group was formed amid a growing demand for Irish language protections in Northern Ireland.

The idea for a film was first conceived in 2019 when Rich Peppiatt watched the group perform in Belfast.

The former journalist said he was "blown away" by the band's "energy, authenticity and [the] rawness of what they were doing".

Speaking to BBC NI, Peppiatt said that he was unaware that there was a youth culture of people "who were living their lives through the Irish language".

"And to me that was really interesting with the backdrop of the Irish Language Act and Stormont being collapsed, I just thought there was a really interesting synergy between those two things,"

"It's not every day that somebody offers to make a film about you" says Moglaí Bap of the first encounter. "We all obviously jumped at it and we cowrote it with him".

One of the band's first stipulations of making the film was that it had to be shot in Irish, and within days of their first meeting Rich Peppiatt had signed up to Irish classes.

Two years later, he earned his fáinne oir - demonstrating his proficiency in the language.

The film's acceptance to Sundance - an internationally recognised showcase for independent cinema - marks a huge step forward for both the project and Irish language media in general, following the success of Oscar-nominated film An Cailín Ciúin.

Kneecap is also the first non-US film to ever be selected for the festival's NEXT section.

In typical Kneecap Fashion, Moglaí Bap shared an Instagram post with the caption: "lets goo upa Mormons"

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Móglaí Bap (@moglaibap)

Speaking on the hip hop trio, director Peppiatt said: "As a band [they] have caused a lot of controversy because they are very head-on and pull no punches on giving their opinion and view on the past and the future direction of travel here".

He also said that the film might also prove to be controversial: "Yes, it does say some things that nobody else has dared to say, and say them in controversial and challenging ways, but that's what art is about".

Check out a sneak peak of the upcoming Kneecap movie premiering at Sundance tomorrow:

👀A wee sneak peek of Kneecap the movie. 👇

🎥 The first ever Irish language movie at @sundanceorg - this snippet in the language of the oppressor.

"The Troubles?!" 💥 pic.twitter.com/QoGdFdMqC9

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) December 6, 2023