History can be very painful, especially in the case of long-buried injustices. The Lost Children of Tuam, produced by Liam Neeson and directed by Frank Berry, tells such a real-life painful story from Ireland.
Monica Dolan (Sherwood, Mr Bates vs The Post Office) portrays history enthusiast Catherine Corless, who researched the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway, for a local historical society, only to uncover the devastating possibility that as many as 796 children had been buried in unmarked graves on the property.
The horrible discovery led to rallying cries and a campaign for justice for both victims and survivors of the home, “confronting deep wounds that continue to shape Ireland today,” according to press notes. Excavation of the mass grave began in the summer of 2025.
The Lost Children of Tuam, which world premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in July, will screen in the Centerpiece Program of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), beginning on Sunday, Sept. 13. The film won the best Irish film honor at Galway.
“The Lost Children of Tuam is a profoundly moving and important piece of filmmaking,” said Charlene Lydon, programmer of the Galway Film Fleadh, about the film. “Frank Berry approaches this story with immense sensitivity, compassion and humanity, creating a film that honours the lives of the children and the experiences of survivors while confronting a painful chapter of our shared history.”
