Anti-British film wins Bafta for Best British debut film

Telegraph

16-02-2025

An anti-British film has won the Bafta for the best outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.
The Irish-language film Kneecap, by director and writer Rich Peppiatt, is based on a semi-fictionalised account of how the Belfast rap group of the same name was formed.
The outspoken band, made up of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Caireallain and JJ Ó Dochartaigh from West Belfast, is known for its provocative lyrics and merchandise in support of Irish republicanism.
During Sunday's awards ceremony, the breakout movie was nominated in six categories – including best British film, best editing, best film not in the English language, best original screenplay, best casting and best debut for a British writer, director or producer.
After Peppiatt won the best debut, he took to the stage and said Kneecap was a 'movement' and that 'everyone should have their language respected and their culture respected'.
The trio's name is derived from so-called kneecapping – where young people are shot in the legs by paramilitaries in republican and loyalist communities in Northern Ireland, because of allegedly being involved in crime or antisocial behaviour.
The film includes a joke that compares the Brighton bombing to a sex act.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform, told The Telegraph: 'This is an insult of the worst kind to all the good people of the RUC and British Army who were murdered by the IRA.'
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was one of 29 people killed in the 1998 Omagh bombing by the IRA, told The Telegraph that Bafta 'should be awarding filmmakers that give positive messages to young'.
One Troubles victim, who was five years old when a 1974 bomb attack by loyalist paramilitaries in Dublin killed his father and left him with lifelong injuries, said Kneecap has 'abused their platform'.
He told The Telegraph that the group 'wasted an excellent opportunity to not objectify and glorify terrorism and the havoc it creates'.
Following the film's Bafta win, he added: 'They used and abused their platform to paint Irish Republican Army terrorists as a group of noble freedom fighters.
'There is nothing noble in shooting a man in front of his wife and children or blowing him up reversing his car out of the driveway.'
He said the award represented 'a great opportunity totally wasted', adding: 'Their glorification of republican terrorism is not only sad, it's pathetic.'
JJ Ó Dochartaigh, whose stage name is DJ Próvaí, attended the awards wearing his signature balaclava in the colours of the Irish tricolour.
The official Kneecap X page posted ahead of the awards ceremony on Sunday said: ' We're at the Baftas later – hopefully we steal a few to take back to Ireland.
'Don't forget the British Government still occupy Ireland and they're flying spy missions over Gaza as we speak to help Zionist fanatics bomb kids.
'Free Palestine. Free the Six Counties.'
In November 2024, the group won a discrimination case over a decision by Kemi Badenoch, now Conservative leader, to refuse them arts funding.
The trio had launched legal action claiming the decision to deny them a £14,250 grant discriminated against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion.
She has since branded the Labour Government 'cowardly' for deciding not to appeal the court ruling.
A spokesman for Mrs Badenoch said: 'It is unbelievable Labour has chosen not to pursue this case…Labour will always capitulate rather than defend UK interests.
'This case is not about whether a band promotes violence or hates the UK, as Kneecap clearly does; this is about whether government ministers have the ability to stop taxpayers' money subsidising people who neither need nor deserve it.'