Sat 7 Nov, 2-4pm
Fréa Renewing Roots, in collaboration with the makers of Testimony, presents a special screening of this powerful feature documentary at Bluecoat as part of Liverpool Irish Festival.
Testimony (2025), directed by Aoife Kelleher, is a powerful documentary chronicling the fight for justice by survivors of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Institutions. The film follows survivors and the advocacy group Justice for Magdalenes (JFM) as they campaign for accountability from the Irish Government.
The film follows a campaign that brought survivor testimony from private pain and public silence to the United Nations, where accounts of forced labour, incarceration, abuse and separation demanded a wider reckoning. Through survivor testimony, archive material and cinematic reconstruction, Testimony explores not only what happened, but what it means to be heard after decades of denial, dismissal and unanswered questions.
This Liverpool screening is presented in partnership with Fréa Renewing Roots, which supports survivors and affected persons of Ireland’s institutions who now live across the North of England. By bringing Testimony to Liverpool, the event recognises that this history is not confined to Ireland. Its impact continues across families, communities and generations, including among Irish communities living in Britain today.
The screening invites audiences to reflect on justice, memory, records, identity, family separation, redress and the continuing impact of Ireland’s institutional history.
Content note: This film explores themes of institutional abuse, forced labour, forced family separation, adoption, trauma and state/church accountability. Some audience members may find parts of the film upsetting. Fréa Renewing Roots staff will be present on the day, and information about support will be available.
Age guidance: 12A
Audience: Open to the public. Survivors, affected persons, Irish community members, practitioners, students, researchers and anyone interested in truth, memory and social justice are warmly welcome.
Free, booking required
