Ross Domoney

KNEECAP THE DOCUMENTARY

Watch the trailer and read the synopsis for this documentary short

A rap group from Northern Ireland confronts the legacy of a bloody conflict.

KNEECAP is a controversial rap group from West Belfast comprising of MC Moglai Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Provai. The group has a large following among Ireland’s young ‘ceasefire baby’ generation. The rappers, born in the aftermath of a three decade-long bloody conflict known as ‘The Troubles’, have made headlines across the Republic of Ireland. Kneecap proudly incorporates the Irish language in all there songs, making the band unique. They rap against the British colonial occupation of the North and have capitalised on a new wave of Irish nationalism.

Aside from wanting ‘Brits out’ the group has also bravely spoken out against some of the armed dissident Republican groups still active in Northern Ireland. Groups such as RAAD (Republican Action Against Drugs) carry out ‘punishment attacks’ on alleged drug dealers. These brutal punishments, known as ‘kneecappings’, maim and sometimes even kill their victims. This doesn’t scare the rap group from making political satire at the expense of the draconian views of such groups.

As Moglai Nap says, “in reality it’s just old fat bald men shooting kids”.

The Irish Hip Hop scene has exploded into a colourful revolution of expressionism in contemporary Ireland. The older generation who were affected by, or even participated in "The Troubles" may at times be scceptical of ‘Kneecap's approach to controversial topics.

The ceasefire baby generation lives in a peaceful Northern Ireland, when compared to what their parents had to endure. ‘Post Colonial Stress Disorder’ as the group puts it, is still rampant in the North. Since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, latest figures reveal that over 4500 people have taken their own lives. The number of people who have committed suicide since is nearly double the number of those killed in the war. Trauma is passed down through generations.

How is this such trauma lived through Northern Ireland’s ‘ceasefire baby generation'?

KNEECAP is a character-led documentary film about the band as they rise to fame in Ireland through a series of drug-fueled gigs. The bigger story is about a country coming to terms with its violent past as the group confronts sensitive post-conflict subjects, head-on. This short documentary follows the band as they connect with their community and face controversy along the way. We will learn through Kneecap and its followers, what life is like in contemporary Northern Ireland, at a time when borders may change as a result of Brexit. Some fear that these changes will lead to renewed violence in the North. We will watch the group as they engage with older members of the community, who participated in the war, and we will learn how these people view their music. Some of them respect ‘Kneecap’ for using music as an artistic and political way to ridicule and eventually ease painful memories.

The documentary is set against a backdrop of an Ireland in transition. The recent February 2020 elections gave an unprecedented boost to the nationalist Sinn Féin party, once the political wing of the IRA. Amongst an uncertain climate of Brexit and local political turbulence, where some fear trouble is once again brewing on the horizon, the band is quickly becoming famous through its daring music.

Tracing its sudden rise to fame is the perfect vehicle to explore the impact that the island’s troubled history and its current political turbulence is having throughout communities.

If you are interested in commissioning this documentary please contact Director/Producer;

Ross Domoney - 00 44 7730596767

photographyross@mac.com