Rich Peppiatt’s Sundance award-winner Kneecap will open the 36th Galway Film Fleadh (July 9-14) as Palestine is unveiled as the festival’s country of focus.
The Irish-language hip-hop biopic collected the Next audience award at Sundance and has since screened at SXSW and at the Sydney Film Festival. Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí comprise the Belfast-based rap trio Kneecap and star as themselves in this dramatised origin story.
Galway will programme a selection of narrative and documentary films from and about Palestinian people that focus on “the land, breaches of international law and the targeting of civilians”.
Director of programming, Maeve McGrath, said: “Announcing Palestine as our Country of Focus underlines the commitment of the Fleadh as a platform for international cultural cinema in Ireland.
“We will showcase the work of film artists who bring the stories of Palestine to the screen. In screening films made in, and about Palestine, we provide a space to bring these stories to a larger audience and show support and solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Kneecap’s statement added: “Well done to Galway Film Fleadh for choosing Palestine as their country of focus. We had one stipulation as the film got distributed around the world and that was that it was not sold or screened in Israel. Enjoy Kneecap - Free Palestine!”
Sony Pictures Classics is releasing Kneecap in North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. Curzon and Wildcard are distributing in the UK and Ireland. It is produced by Northern Ireland’s Fine Point Films and the UK’s Mother Tongues Films.
The full programme will be unveiled on June 25.
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