Latest news with #CelticMediaFestival
Irish Post
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Kneecap claim top prize at prestigious annual film festival
KNEECAP have claimed the top prize at the annual Celtic Media Festival. The rap trio were announced as the Spirit of the Festival winners at the event held in Cornwall this month. Written, produced and directed by Rich Peppiatt, the film is a semi-autobiographical offering, which follows the west-Belfast based group on their mission to save the Irish language. The film stars the band's Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí in their acting debuts alongside Academy Award nominated Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby and Josie Walker. Earlier this year, Director Rich Peppiatt received an IFTA and a BAFTA for the film. Their latest award was announced over the weekend, during the three-day event in Newquay. 'These awards follow a year and a half of incredible success for Kneecap, the movie since the premiere and Audience Award at Sundance in January 2024,' said Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, Commissioning Editor for the Irish language station TG4, who are the broadcast partner for the film. 'Kneecap has brought the Irish language to the most important stages of the world as a powerful creative channel that speaks to indigenous cultures, music lovers and anyone who appreciates good storytelling,' she added. 'TG4's commitment to support this wave of excellence in both scripted and non-scripted content is unwavering. 'It is particularly rewarding to see our content stand up to competition from the best of the best from the Celtic Nations. Comhghairdeas Kneecap.' The award comes in the same month that Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, is due to appear before a court in London charged with a terror offence. In May the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command charged the band member over a Palestinian flag displayed at a show at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London on November 21, 2024. The force said that the 27-year-old displayed the flag "in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hezbollah". He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court next Wednesday, June 18. See More: Celtic Media Festival, Kneecap
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Kneecap movie takes top prize at Celtic Media Awards
Kneecap, the Belfast rap trio's acclaimed Irish-language origin movie, has won the top prize at this year's Celtic Media Awards in Cornwall. The film was awarded Spirit of the Festival at the three-day celebration of film, television, radio and digital media which promotes languages and cultures of the Celtic nations and regions. Directed by Rich Peppiatt, Kneecap is set in West Belfast in 2019 and tells the story of how the group, consisting of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, formed and went on to "change the sound of Irish music forever". The winner for the 2025 #SpiritOfTheFestival is ✨Kneecap✨ @KNEECAPCEOL @richpeppiatt @TG4TV @FPF_Docs @ScreenIreland @NIScreen @CNaM_ie @BFI @belowtheradartv #CelticMedia #TorcAwards #SpiritOfTheFestival — Celtic Media Festival (@CelticMediaFest) June 5, 2025 It also stars Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby, Jessica Reynolds and Fionnuala Flaherty. TG4 is the broadcast partner for Kneecap, and the channel's Commissioning Editor, Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, said that this honour follows "a year and a half of incredible success for Kneecap" since the film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024, where it won the coveted Audience Award. " Kneecap has brought the Irish language to the most important stages of the world as a powerful creative channel that speaks to indigenous cultures, music lovers and anyone who appreciates good storytelling," Ní Ghráinne said. "TG4's commitment to support this wave of excellence in both scripted and non-scripted content is unwavering. It is particularly rewarding to see our content stand up to competition from the best of the best from the Celtic Nations. Comhghairdeas Kneecap." The Celtic Media Festival (CMF) is held annually, rotating between venues in the various Celtic nations and regions, with this year's festival taking place in Newquay, Cornwall.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Culture and collaboration at the Celtic Media Festival in Newquay
Media strategies, indigenous languages and the future of television, with a Celtic twist, have been on the agenda at the Celtic Media Festival this week. Some of the top media figures from Celtic nations and regions all over Europe came together for the annual event in Newquay, the course of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday attendees have had the chance to network alongside a busy schedule of panel discussions, workshops, pitching masterclasses and the Torc MacDonald from BBC Radio nan Gàidheal was one of the judges and praised "a growing confidence in our respective languages, enriched by that awareness of our shared cultural heritage within the Celtic nations." Among the talks for delegates were "Tiktok or Telly?", "Celtic Exchange – Supporting the Next Generation in Creative Media" and "A BBC for All of the UK" featuring an address from the BBC's Director of Nations, Rhodri Talfan Kallag from Brittany, France works to create children's programmes in the Breton language, and was excited about increasing the use of social media platforms, saying: "I am thinking how social media maybe could help bring languages through people who are on it."I know it's not really healthy to be too much on it but I know that it's important to bring new content to the young people who are on it and give them a way to transmit languages." That theme of the health of minority languages dominated many conversations at the Smith, producer at BBC Radio nan Gàidheal - the BBC's Scottish Gaelic language radio station - said: "In a media landscape dominated by English, seeing how others tell their own audiences' stories is very valuable, giving you a better understanding of how Scottish Gaelic broadcasting sits within that wider context. "Each Celtic language and nation's history, context, and modern experience is different - but there's a shared desire to give each community programmes that reflect their identity and voice." 'Stronger and more diverse' Presenter Cathy MacDonald added: "As an international jury member for some years at the festival, I've observed that categories overall are markedly stronger and more diverse, despite a challenging industry landscape. "For me this suggests a growing confidence in our respective languages, enriched by that awareness of our shared cultural heritage within the Celtic nations. "Year on year we see a boldness in tackling difficult subjects within programmes that are all the more meaningful for being produced within the languages of the audiences concerned." Alongside those who have travelled hundreds of miles were representatives of Cornwall, and the Cornish and Filmmaker Ted Simpson lives in Newquay and has been to a number of Celtic Media Festivals in the past, so could not miss the one on his said: "It's an interesting time, I think TV over the last few years has been in a tough place but what's really good to see about the Celtic media scene is the collaboration across different nations and the level of openness and access to this festival which is always really refreshing."You can strike up a conversation with commissioners really easily and get a real, honest sense of what's happening. But I do think the TV industry is in a tough place at the moment, there's not a lot of money going around." Executive Editor at BBC Radio Cornwall Emma Clements said it was great to see "the shared pride and creativity" on show, adding: "Serving our communities and representing our distinct language, identity, cultural and sporting achievements not only to where we live but to the rest of the world, is so important."We can all reflect together where we come from, we can also work together to build a better future."I believe BBC Radio Cornwall plays a crucial role here, not just as a broadcaster representing the true lives of people in Cornwall on a national stage, we are the front door to the BBC, through BBC Introducing and Upload, our jobs and apprenticeship schemes." The Celtic Media Festival was staged in Cardiff in 2024 and there has been a strong Welsh contingent in Newquay this Afan is CEO of Afanti Media, an independent media company based in Wales, and said: "Indigenous producers in Welsh or Irish or Gaelic communities need to get together more so we can not only celebrate our creativity in our indigenous languages but also to try to work together more. "Such is the competition on other channels - your Netflixs and your YouTubes - we have to cut through, and money is getting shorter in supply, so therefore the greater the sum of the parts when there's more co-production."Llinos Wynne, Head of Documentaries and Specialist Factual at the Welsh-language television channel S4C had a similar said: "I think bringing smaller countries together, bringing the Celts together, and being really creative and looking at how we can work together is as important as it's ever, ever been." The Celtic Media Festival finished with the Torc Awards for Excellence - you can read a full list of the nominees and winners here. Additional reporting by Ajit Gadekar, Coco Bond, Richie Wicks and Ella Cannon.
