A new drama produced by Liam Neeson dramatizes Catherine Corless’s research into the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway, where hundreds of children were discovered in unmarked graves. The film premieres internationally at TIFF after debuting in Galway.
Monica Dolan plays Catherine Corless, the amateur historian whose archival work revealed a mass burial at the Tuam mother-and-baby home.
Liam Neeson optioned a 2017 New York Times article and is a producer on the film directed by Frank Berry and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz.
Production and distribution involve Element Pictures, Screen Ireland, BBC Film, mk2, Volta Pictures Distribution and Picturehouse Entertainment.
# What the film covers St. Mary's/Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway. Monica Dolan portrays Catherine Corless, a local historian who researched records for a historical society and uncovered evidence suggesting hundreds of children had been buried in unmarked graves on the institution's grounds.
The discovery prompted public outcry, a campaign for justice for survivors and victims, and an excavation of the site that began in summer 2025.
# Who made the film
Production companies include Element Pictures, Big Red Films and El Paso Productions, presented by Screen Ireland and BBC Film with worldwide sales handled by mk2. Volta Pictures Distribution will release the film in Irish cinemas on Sept. 25, and Picturehouse Entertainment will release it in the U.K. on Oct. 9.
# Festival journey and reception July, where it won the best Irish film award. It will have its international premiere in the Centerpiece Program at the Toronto International Film Festival beginning Sept. 13.
Galway Film Fleadh programmer Charlene Lydon described the film as moving and important, praising Frank Berry's sensitive approach and the film's attention to survivors and the deceased children.
# Themes and approach The film centers on archival work, patient persistence and the difficulty of getting institutions to acknowledge past wrongs. TIFF's program notes highlight moral justice and Corless's refusal to abandon evidence when faced with indifference and resistance.
While the story is tied to a specific Irish scandal, the filmmakers and festival materials frame it around broader themes: memory, how societies treat children deemed undesirable, and institutional accountability.
# Cast and performances
# Where to see it
# Why this matters now The film revisits an investigation that reshaped public discussion in Ireland about mother-and-baby homes and institutional treatment of vulnerable children. The excavation that began in 2025 kept the issue in public view, and the film aims to put the archival work and its human consequences on screen.
# Practical note for viewers Expect a drama focused on research and public response rather than sensationalism. The creative team emphasizes sensitivity toward survivors and the children whose deaths the story uncovers.
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