The director and producer of “Kneecap,” the wild comedy biopic about a real-life Belfast rap group that became a breakout hit in Sundance, have reunited to form their own production company.
Coup d’état Films, founded by director Rich Peppiatt (“Kneecap,” “One Rogue Reporter”) and producer Trevor Birney (“No Stone Unturned,” “Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing”), will be based in Belfast with a primary focus on original scripted content. Both Peppiatt and Birney are already in development on a number of domestic and international projects under the new banner, exploring both solo and co-production arrangements.
“Trevor and I are kindred spirits when it comes to anarchic, provocative filmmaking,” said Peppiatt. “We believe there’s an irreplaceable power in the collective experience of cinema. And we believe in the North of Ireland — and its talent and crew — as a world class production base. We see what friends like Element Pictures have done in the South of Ireland and see no reason that success can’t be emulated here.”
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Coup d’état Films was announced on the first day of the Galway Film Fleadh, where “Kneecap” is getting its Irish premiere as the festival opener. The film — which was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics in Sundance (where it won the NEXT audience award) — opens wide in the U.S. on August 2, and releases in Irish and U.K. cinemas the following weeks.
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“Rich is a creative powerhouse, and our collective production experience offers something special – the setting up of Coup d’état was a natural evolution of that partnership,” said Birney. “Marrying together creative talent with the commercial realities of a film like Kneecap requires a level of ingenuity, never mind sheer hard work. I think we’ve been able to prove that we can do it. The potential as we move forward with the new venture is a really exciting proposition.”
Predominantly in the Irish language, “Kneecap” is hotly-tipped to become Ireland’s Oscars submission for the international feature category later this year.