“Kneecap,” the semi-autobiographical Irish language film from the Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap, has won an award after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah this week.
"Kneecap" won the Audience Award for the NEXT Section, the Sundance Film Festival announced during its award ceremony on Friday, January 26.
It’s a solid ending to the week for Kneecap, whose film 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.
🏆 The Audience Award: NEXT presented by @Adobe goes to KNEECAP, directed by Rich Peppiatt (@richpeppiatt). #Sundance pic.twitter.com/1lARXkdyFa
— Sundance Film Festival (@sundancefest) January 26, 2024
"Holy moly!" Kneecap - consisting of Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí - said on X on Friday when the awards were announced.
"Never in doubt," the group added.
Holy moly! 🏆
Our movie has just gone and won the audience award at Sundance!!
Never in doubt 😉 pic.twitter.com/8gYoO7njaj
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) January 26, 2024
Rich Peppiatt, who directed "Kneecap," had a similarly surprised reaction, posting "Holy s--t" on X:
Holy shit. https://t.co/Y5fdbQOTM8
— Rich Peppiatt (@richpeppiatt) January 26, 2024
Trevor Briney, who produced "Kneecap," thanked the group and Peppiatt, as well as the film's financiers and crew.
"Who's got the Buckfast?!" he added.
Not a bad way to end the most wonderful week. Thanks to the amazing @KNEECAPCEOL and @richpeppiatt and all our amazing financiers and crew. Who’s got the Buckfast?! GRMA. @NIScreen @ScreenIreland @BFI @TG4TV @WildCardDistrib @MotherTongues @sundancefest https://t.co/R0XC1iaeYF
— Trevor Birney (@trevorbirney) January 26, 2024
The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) also offered a comhghairdeas to the filmmakers of "Kneecap" on the "historic triumph for the film and the Irish language!"
Kneecap brought the craic - and a PSNI van - to the Sundance Film Festival, and even celebrated scooping a distribution deal with Sony Pictures Classics.
No strangers to controversy, Kneecap staged a stunt worthy of the hype surrounding the occasion of the film's premiere, arriving at the Sundance Film Festival's red carpet in a fully kitted-out Northern Irish PSNI Land Rover, complete with the band’s name spray-painted across the vehicle.
The stunt drew awareness to the premiere of "Kneecap," though judging by reviews of the film - and now, an award - the trio might not have needed the stunt at all.
IndieWire calls the film “delightfully spiky," Collider says it "authentically captures the Irish rap group," ScreenDaily says it's "a riot," and The Wrap concludes the movie is "a snort of ketamine in a very uptight world."
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