Kneecap Premieres At Sundance And Gets Major Worldwide Distribution Deal
The comedic bilingual biopic Kneecap, premiered at the illustrious Sundance Festival last week. It garnered an enthusiastic round of applause as the credits rolled, and there was raucous laughter from the sold-out audience throughout the premiere screening. It also marks the first time an Irish language film has screened at the festival.
Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, the film is 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”.
Just prior to the screening, it was announced that Sony Pictures Classics had acquired the distribution for the US, as well as other major worldwide markets. While speaking to RTÉ, Kneecap producer Trevor Birney talked about the importance for Irish & Northern Irish filmmakers and in particular producers in Belfast, stating:
We have had huge success with Game of Thrones and Derry Girls, but this is about indigenous film production, indigenous producers, indigenous crews, making independent film.
The film will be distributed by Wildcard Distribution in Ireland and Curzon Film in the United Kingdom. Kneecap is set to release in Ireland some time in 2024.
