"Kneecap," the semi-autobiographical movie about the Belfast-based Irish language hip-hop trio of the same name, triumphed at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) last night, Sunday, December 8.
"Kneecap" won Best British Independent Film, Best Joint Lead Performance (Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh), and Best Debut Screenwriter (Rich Peppiatt).
"I do have to mention that there's an irony in the Best British film being Irish," Peppiatt, the movie's writer and director, said while accepting the Best British Independent Film award on Sunday.
Kneecap member DJ Próvaí, donning his signature tricolor balaclava, also took the mic to add "Just want to make sure Maggie Thatcher's still dead, is she?" before flashing the audience.
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The BIFA wins last night build on the film's sweep last month in the craft categories - Best Casting (Carla Stronge), Best Editing (Julian Ulrichs and Chris Gill), Best Music Supervision (Gary Welch and Jeanette Rehnstrom), and Best Original Music (Michael 'Mikey J' Asante).
Not surprisingly, the staunchly Irish group has been enjoying their successes at the British awards:
The Daily Mail 😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/bdvIdMcYTL
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) December 9, 2024
Kneecap's BIFA wins come about a week after the Irish language hip-hop group won its case against the British Government.
In February, Kneecap announced it was launching legal action, claiming that its application for £14,250 in music funding was independently approved but then blocked by the British Government.
A spokesperson for Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s then-Business and Trade Secretary, responded to the claims, saying: “We fully support freedom of speech, but it’s hardly surprising that we don’t want to hand out UK taxpayers’ money to people that oppose the United Kingdom itself.”
Kneecap said at the time: "Removing artists from funding due to their political beliefs.....classic coloniser stuff."
On November 29, Kneecap, who was represented by Phoenix Law, won their case.
"They broke their own laws trying to silence us," the trio said afterward.
The group gave their £14,250 to two youth clubs on both sides of the local community - one in Ballymurphy and one on the Shankill Road.
Win at court for @KNEECAPCEOL
Our @darraghmackin acts pic.twitter.com/a5xRKl84DK
— Phoenix Law Belfast (@PhoenixLawHR) November 29, 2024
The movie "Kneecap" stars the members of the West Belfast rap trio Kneecap (Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí) alongside an ensemble cast including Oscar-nominee Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby, Josie Walker, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds and Adam Best.
The film had its world premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January this year, where it had the dual distinction of being the first Irish language film to be selected for Sundance, as well as the first non-US film to ever be selected for the festival’s NEXT section. It also became the first Irish language film to win a NEXT Audience Award.
At Sundance, Sony Pictures Classics acquired all rights to the film for North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East.
After its world premiere, "Kneecap" went on to play at Sundance London, and was the opening film of Galway Film Fleadh, where it won three prizes including the Audience Award.
In August, the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) announced that it had selected "Kneecap" to represent Ireland in the International Feature Film category at the upcoming 97th annual Academy Awards.
Should "Kneecap" get nominated, it will be Ireland's second nomination in the category in three years, following "The Quiet Girl" in 2023.
The Oscars International Feature shortlist will be announced on December 17, and the final five nominees will be revealed on January 17, 2025. The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 3, 2025.
Variety predicts that "Kneecap" will be among the International Feature Film nominees, but that the award will ultimately go to “Emilia Pérez." The film, however, missed out in the Golden Globe nominations, which were announced the day after the BIFAs.
"Kneecap" is now streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
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