Pálás Cinema Presents: Kneecap Selects

Fresh from storming the stage at Glastonbury and the Irish premiere of their self-titled feature film at the Galway Film Fleadh last night, KNEECAP have programmed a film series titled KNEECAP SELECTS which will play at Dublin's Light House and Pálás ahead of the release of their debut feature film KNEECAP on August 8th.

Having already garnered international acclaim at Sundance Film Festival in Utah and Sundance London earlier this year, Irish audiences are hotly anticipating the release.

Based on the origin story of the riotous and ground-breaking Irish-language rap trio Kneecap, the film stars the band’s Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí in their acting debuts alongside Academy Award® nominated Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs, 12 Years a Slave), Simone Kirby (Hidden Assets, Jimmy’s Hall), Jessica Reynolds (Outlander), Fionnuala Flaherty (Ros na Rún) and Josie Walker (Belfast, The Wonder). Set in west Belfast in 2019, it chronicles how fate brings the trio together and how they then go on to “change the sound of Irish music forever”.

above: photo by @helenstills

For KNEECAP Selects, each member has picked either a favourite film or one in which they feel inspired their own story, and had the following to say about each.

The Greasy Strangler: “A strange and weird film, pure bullshit, no one should watch it. It’ll put ye off hotdogs for life. Bain sult as!” - DJ Próvaí
Showing at Pálás Cinema on August 2nd at 7pm - tickets here
Ronnie runs a Disco walking tour with his son, Brayden. When a sexy woman takes the tour, it begins a competition between father and son for her love. It also signals the arrival of an oily strangler who stalks the streets at night.

Hunger: “About Bobby Sands the hunger striker from West Belfast, who is a local hero in our community. Played brilliantly by Michael Fassbender. An absolute must watch.” - Mo Chara
Showing at Pálás Cinema on August 7th at 8.30pm - tickets here
Focusing on the 1981 hunger strikes by Republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. Bobby Sands is one of a group of prisoners who first "took to the blanket" with a "dirty protest" in pursuit of their claims for recognition as political prisoners. Sands then became the first one of the group to embark on a hunger strike that was to end in his death.

Man About Dog: “A movie about West Belfast, in the days before taxi men had licenses, everyone was skint but always knew how to make a few quid (or lose it).” - Móglaí Bap
Showing at Pálás Cinema on July 26th at 8.45pm - tickets here
Three losers leave town owing 50k to a bookie. They go on a journey involving drinking, gambling on greyhounds, and hiring prostitutes, leading them into further debt and misadventures.

Feature photo courtesy of Galway Film Fleadh.