Frank Berry’s The Lost Children of Tuam, based on the historian Catherine Corless’s discovery of numerous infant deaths at the Bon Secours mother and baby home in the Co Galway town, is to have its world premiere at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh. Monica Dolan, the Yorkshire-born winner of a Bafta for her portrayal of the English serial killer Rosemary West in the gruelling ITV drama Appropriate Adult, stars as Corless in a film coproduced by Liam Neeson.Corless was researching the Bon Secours home for a local historical society when she found that as many as 796 children may have been buried in unmarked graves at the site. The story eventually gained international traction and led to a campaign seeking justice for victims and survivors.The screenplay, by Rebecca Lenkiewicz – known for the #MeToo drama She Said – is adapted from a 2017 New York Times article by Dan Barry. Neeson optioned the rights and now shares producer credits with distinguished veterans such as Martina Niland, for Port Pictures, and the Oscar-nominees Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney, of Element Pictures. Andrew Bennett and Ian McElhinney are also among the cast.Among Ireland’s most gifted social-realist film-makers, Berry, who grew up in the Raheny area of Dublin, has been acclaimed for such humane titles as the 2017 prison drama Michael Inside and, starring Josh O’Connor and Letitia Wright, the searing 2022 film Aisha, a study of Ireland’s asylum system. “We are honoured to premiere The Lost Children of Tuam at the Galway Film Fleadh, a festival that’s very close to my heart,” Berry said. “We could not imagine a more meaningful and fitting start to the journey of this film.”The film’s world premiere, on Saturday, July 11th, will take place little more than 30km from the site of Corless’s researches.“Frank Berry approaches this story with immense sensitivity, compassion and humanity,” Charlene Lydon, programmer of the fleadh, now reaching its 38th edition, said. “We are honoured to present its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh and to provide a platform for a story that continues to resonate both in Ireland and around the world.”Corless, who in 2017 was honoured with the Bar of Ireland’s human-rights award in recognition of her “exceptional humanitarian service”, is supportive of the project.“A brilliant director, exceptional writer, multiskilled producers and a whole team of dedicated people have put their hearts and energy into this film, to portray the truth of what really happened in the Tuam home,” Corless said. “I am indebted to you all for bringing this movie to the big screen.”The Lost Children of Tuam, which will screen at the Town Hall Theatre, long spiritual centre of the fleadh, will be distributed in Ireland by Volta Pictures.Galway Film Fleadh runs from Tuesday, July 7th, until Sunday, July 12th