Kneecap [MA15+]

Direct from Sydney Film Festival and Sundance, where it was the first Irish language film to premiere, Rich Peppiatt’s raucous, rude and riotously entertaining comedy stars three real-life Belfast rappers as themselves – and Michael Fassbender.

Peppiatt’s powerfully political comedy-drama about the survival of the Irish language is something of a miracle movie. Where else in the world could the legacy of trauma produce such hilarity and crowd-pleasing entertainment?

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin play themselves wonderfully in the origin story of their Belfast rap group Kneecap. We first meet them in the 2010s as drug-selling besties. More importantly, they’re staunch patriots who speak Irish as an act of cultural maintenance, and in defiance of British imperialism.

When nerdy music teacher JJ Ó Dochartaigh enters the scene, he encourages the lads to turn their notebook scribblings into highly- charged polemical rap songs (and subsequently becomes their DJ).

What follows is a rowdy and cheerfully rude showbiz story following the trio through drug-hazed nights and clear-eyed days, as their music begins to impact the broader community while inevitably angering authorities.

Subversive, sexy, unfiltered, and with a significant supporting role for Michael Fassbender, this freewheeling and finger-flipping music biopic hits all the right notes.

This summer, float away with film as the BREC Sky Bar is transformed once again into the Festival Hub.

Sip on refreshing drinks, indulge in your favourite movie snacks, and treat yourself to our famous toasted paninis. Arrive early or linger after the film to soak up the ambience. Whatever your plans, the Festival Hub is your place to relax, connect with fellow film lovers, and let the magic of cinema carry you away.