Irish film and creative talent are at the forefront of the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) with Irish language feature film Kneecap leading the way with a record-breaking sweep of 14 nominations at this year’s awards.
Kneecap‘s nominations includes Best Director and Best Screenplay for writer/director Rich Peppiatt. The Kneecap trio Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh are nominated for Best Joint Lead Performance. The film is also nominated for Best British Independent Film plus eight craft categories including Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Music Supervision, Best Original Music, Best Production Design, and Best Sound.
An Irish/UK co-production, Kneecap is produced by Jack Tarling and Trevor Birney for Fine Point Films and Mother Tongues Films, and co-produced by Patrick O’Neill for Wildcard. Funding for the film was provided by Northern Ireland Screen, the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the BFI, Coimisiún na Meán, and TG4, with backing from Great Point Media.
Speaking about the nominations, Kneecap producer Trevor Birney said: “For ‘Kneecap’ to be recognised at this level is testament not only to Rich Peppiatt’s creative vision and determination but also to the work of an amazing cast and crew along with the unstinting support of our financiers.”
The film, which is written and directed by Rich Peppiatt (One Rogue Reporter), 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.
Based on the origin story of the riotous and ground-breaking Irish-language rap trio Kneecap, the film is set in west Belfast in 2019, chronicling how fate brings the trio together and how they then go on to “change the sound of Irish music forever”.
The film was recently nominated for European University Film Award at the European Film Academy, and today announced a further nomination for European Discovery – Prix Fipresci (Fipresci Prize). The winners will be announced at the European Film Awards ceremony in Lucerne on 7 December 2024.
Kneecap is joined among the nominations by Tailored Films’ Bring Them Down, which was nominated for two awards at this year’s BIFAs: Best Debut Director for Christopher Andrews and Breakthrough Producer for Jacob Swan Hyam. Featuring
Bring Them Down is an Irish-set thriller written and directed by Christopher Andrews, and starring Christopher Abbott, Barry Keoghan, Colm Meaney, Nora-Jane Noone, Paul Ready and Susan Lynch. Michael, the last son of a shepherding family, lives with his ailing father, Ray. Burdened by guilt over the death of his mother, Michael has isolated himself from the world. When a conflict with rival farmer Gary and his son Jack escalates, Michael is drawn into a devastating chain of events, forcing him to confront the horrors of his past and leaving both families permanently altered.
The film was produced by Irish production company Tailored Films, Wild Swim, and MUBI, and co-produced by Frakas Productions, VOO et Be tv, and Shelter Prod in association with Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, RTÉ, and the UK Global Screen Fund.
Irish film and creative talent are strongly represented across the BIFAs, with 7 nominations for Element Pictures’ On Becoming A Guinea Fowl and nominations for Irish actors Saoirse Ronan and Barry Keoghan for their performances in The Outrun and Bird, respectively.
Speaking about Kneecap and Bring Them Down BIFA nominations, Screen Ireland’s Head of Film, Keith Potter, said: "Our huge congratulations to the teams behind Screen Ireland-supported films Kneecap and Bring Them Down for their nominations at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) this morning. This is a record-breaking sweep of fourteen nominations for Kneecap - the most nominations for any Irish film in recent years - and we're incredibly proud of the film's success. Irish film has always been strongly represented at the BIFAs, but today showcases an incredible cross-section of Irish talent across the board, and we'd like to congratulate all of the projects and artists nominated."
The 2024 BIFA awards ceremony will take place at The Roundhouse in London on Sunday, 8th December.
