Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap has been shortlisted for two Academy Award nominations in the Best International Feature category and Best Original Song for ‘Sick In The Head’.
This marks only the third time an Irish film has reached this milestone, following Viva and An Cailín Ciúin.
The final nominations will be announced on January 17th, ahead of the prestigious ceremony on March 2nd at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Speaking about the huge achievement, writer and director Rich Peppiatt said:
“If someone had walked into the pub in 2019 – back when me and Kneecap were still dreaming up what this movie could be – and they told us five years later we’d be in the running for an Oscar, we’d probably have asked for a blast on whatever they were smoking.
“It’s been a rollercoaster journey marked by a huge amount of hard graft and plenty of good fun, and making it to that hallowed Hollywood red carpet would certainly be a grand way to finish it all off.”
Kneecap stars the members of the West Belfast rap trio Kneecap – Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí – alongside an impressive cast that includes Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby, Josie Walker, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds, and Adam Best.
Set in West Belfast in 2019, the film follows Belfast schoolteacher JJ as he crosses paths with Naoise and Liam Óg, two young men who launch a hip-hop act like no other.
Rapping in Irish, the trio blends Irish and English, creating a genre-defying sound that reimagines rap as a cultural and community-driven force.
Their rise to fame turns them into unexpected leaders of a Civil Rights movement to preserve their mother tongue, sparking a cultural revival among their young fans.
Kneecap has already garnered significant acclaim, winning seven prestigious awards at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) earlier this month:
- Best British Independent Film
- Best Debut Screenwriter (Rich Peppiatt)
- Best Joint Lead Performance (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh)
- Best Casting
- Best Editing
- Best Original Music
- Best Music Supervision
The film has also received a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and was named Best Foreign Language Film by the Atlanta Film Critics Circle.
To secure a nomination, Kneecap now has to compete against 14 other shortlisted films from around the world, including:
- Brazil: I’m Still Here
- Canada: Universal Language
- Denmark: The Girl with the Needle
- France: Emilia Pérez
- Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
- Italy: Vermiglio
- Norway: Armand
- Palestine: From Ground Zero
- Senegal: Dahomey
Academy members have to meet strict viewing requirements to vote in this category, ensuring all films receive fair consideration.
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