Kneecap (18)

Ireland | 2024 | 105’ | 18 | Rich Peppiatt | Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, DJ Próvaí, Josie Walker, Simone Kirby, Michael Fassbender

In Belfast aspiring Irish Gaelic rappers, Naoise and Liam Óg meet JJ, a shy schoolteacher and Irish language campaigner who has been making beats in his garage. The rap verses tell tales of sex and drugs with proud republican rebellious streak, so to keep his job JJ wears a balaclava on stage and the trio become ‘Kneecap’. The self-proclaimed ‘low life scum’ become the defiant voice of post-Good Friday Agreement Northern Ireland’s youth with their unapologetic confidence and restless need to express their identity. Riling up Irish radio and Union politicians alike, tensions rise that threaten to pull the plug on their dreams. A fierce, thrilling, funny fable with pulsating hip hop beats.

Supported by the BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.