Ciara Whelan follows the rise of the West Belfast rap group Kneecap in this year’s film festival circuit.
In the last few years, the Belfast group Kneecap have taken Ireland by storm and it seems the group are not ready to stop there. The Irish-language rap group, which is constituted of three young artists from West Belfast by the stage names Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvai, have reached new heights in recent months. The group quickly made themselves known in the Irish music scene with their debut single ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’ in 2017, followed by the release of the first album, 3CAG, in 2018. This year, with the release of their eponymously titled film directed by Rich Peppiatt and starring the group alongside Irish actors like Michael Fassbender and Simone Kirby, these Irish artists are set to take the international stage.
The group’s film project, a surrealist semi-autobiographical telling of the trio’s rise to fame in West Belfast, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of this year. It was the first Irish language film ever to open the prestigious event, and it is described as an anti-establishment comedy that follows the formation of the group and the discovery of their unique sound. The film garnered high praise from critics and audiences alike at the festival, and ultimately earned the NEXT Audience Award, once again the first Irish language film to earn such prestige. The film’s success at Sundance meant that it was acquired by Sony for distribution following the premiere for release in North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. Before this distribution of Kneecap to cinemas across the world, the film will continue in the festival circuit and feature in the SXSW Festival this year in Austin, Texas.
The film garnered high praise from critics and audiences alike at the festival, and ultimately earned the NEXT Audience Award, once again the first Irish language film to earn such prestige.
The West Belfast setting of the film and the anti-establishment subject matter that surrounds the group’s music with controversy mean that Kneecap has faced severe backlash from factions of Northern Irish and British society in the wake of this film. Many unionist politicians and public figures have criticised the film and the use of £1.6 million in public expenditure to fund the project. On this matter, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers is quoted stating; “It would have been far better for this money to have been used to relieve those pressures rather than promote such a controversial group”. This backlash is increasingly an inference of the British government’s ability to celebrate the achievements of this film as it brings attention to the conditions of life for young men in contemporary West Belfast. This is further evidenced in recent days as the group was refused £15,000 in funding by the British government’s Music Export Growth scheme, which the UK Secretary of State Kemi Badenoch blocked. The group responded quickly, however, and has in turn sued the UK government for this action.
Though the outcome of this legal battle remains uncertain, Kneecap has certainly illuminated the conditions of life in today’s West Belfast in the greater context of the United Kingdom and will inevitably continue to express their beliefs through music and film applauded by the public and press alike.