There are 80,000 native Irish speakers in Ireland. 6,000 live in the North of Ireland. Three of them became a rap group called Kneecap. This anarchic Belfast trio become unlikely figureheads of a civil rights movement to save their mother tongue.

Bursting forth from an often unpredictable and raucous post-Troubles Belfast, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh leap onto the screen to play themselves in this heightened and wildly entertaining tale of Kneecap’s origins, with Michael Fassbender in tow as the charismatic father figure turned political martyr. Armed with a blend of English and native Irish verses and blazing, politically charged rhymes, Kneecap’s music takes us on a ketamine-fueled, rollicking trip to encounter the meaning of pure defiance. Filmmaker Rich Peppiatt captures the untamable essence of this singular trio with unapologetic humor and energy, revealing a generation born out of chaos and ready to reclaim their cultural heritage. Fervent and unforgettable, Kneecap is the rallying cry of a music group poised to take the world by storm.—AS

This film contains graphic sexual content.

This film contains strobe effects.

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 25–28) and credentialed press and industry (January 24–28).