One of the big films headlining this year’s Fantastic Film Festival is Ian Palmer’s decade spanning bare-knuckle boxing doucmentary, Knuckle. The movie, which originally premiered at Sundance, takes us into the underground world of Irish bare-knuckle boxing where families of ‘travellers’ settle their scores in unofficial rings with the victor earning serious prize money and major bragging rights. You may have come across travellers in films before, most notably Brad Pitt’s character, the pikey (slang for Travellers), in Guy Ritchies Snatch.
The trailer for Knuckle, which debuted on Yahoo!, is pretty intense and well worth checking out, especially if you are a fighting man yourself. Once you watch the trailer please read the detailed synopsis below to get a better idea as to what the film is about.
Cheers!
When videographer Ian Palmer was hired to film a Quinn family wedding, he unexpectedly stumbled upon a documentary subject that would occupy him for over a decade. KNUCKLE centers around a feud between the Quinns and a neighboring clan, the Joyces. Both are part of a large group of ethnic Irish known as Travellers. Travellers are generally poor, travel from place to place in search of lodging and work and are often the victims of discrimination in Ireland.
In addition to sharing a Traveller heritage, the Quinns and Joyces are united by mutual hatred. Instead of resolving their issues in court or killing each other, the menfolk engage in bare-knuckle fights for honor and cash. One would think that a couple of fights would be enough to end a feud. However, the two families hated each other so much that they have continued to beat each other up for over 12 years.
Director Ian Palmer followed the Quinns and Joyces for years to document the arc of their long-running dispute. He captures numerous fights, most of which are brief and brutal, as well as the daily routines of various participants. The individual incidents that lead to the fights seem petty and slight, giving the impression that the family dispute has more to do with adrenaline and testosterone than family honor. However, a serious grudge borne of a real tragedy fuels the flurry of smashed faces. KNUCKLE isn’t just about fighting; it’s about a group of outsiders trying to survive in a world that is hostile to their way of life. (Rodney)
KNUCKLE will also be the theme of our signature festival event: Fantastic Debates. At the Fantastic Debates, press, filmmakers & film professionals enter the arena for a formal debate followed by two rounds of boxing. In the ring, the great issues facing the fan community are solved once and for all, first by words, then by fisticuffs. Four debates are scheduled, culminating in the main event, a bout featuring KNUCKLE star and undefeated bare-knuckle brawler James Quinn McDonagh versus Fantastic Fest Co-Founder Tim League. (Rodney Perkins) – via Fantastic Fest site
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