Testimony documentary to be released in Irish cinemas this month

Testimony, a feature documentary about abuses in Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes, is set to be released in Irish cinemas on November 21.

The film focuses on a group of women supported by activist organisation Justice for Magdalenes in their fight to hold the Irish government accountable for family separations and abuses in institutions imprisoning women in Ireland.

Magdalene Laundries, operated by religious orders with support from the State up to the late 1990s, incarcerated women under claims of "moral rehabilitation." Survivors endured severe physical and emotional abuse and cruel forced labour.

Women also experienced abuse at Mother and Baby Homes, where unwed mothers were forced to surrender their children for adoption. Such separations were frequently executed in secrecy and without consent.

Reports from the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation found an "appalling level of infant mortality at mother-and-baby homes," with around 9,000 children having died in the homes between 1922 and 1998.

The Commission also confirmed those in the home were subject to starvation, human trafficking and vaccine trials without parental or guardian consent.

Testimony shares several survivors' stories, as women recount the trauma of being separated from their children, enduring severe abuse and carrying societal shame long after escaping the institutions.

The film follows the survivor-led fight for justice from its initial grassroots campaigning all the way up to delivering a testimony at the United Nations.

In an announcement by Dublin-based production company Underground Films today, director Aoife Kelleher said she was "delighted" by Testimony's upcoming release.

"This film is a reminder that, while confronting the past is never easy, it is vital, and that listening to survivors is the first and most meaningful step toward accountability," Kelleher said.

"My hope is that the release of the documentary will help to amplify their call for truth and reconciliation, not only in Ireland, but everywhere such injustices have been allowed to persist

Kelleher is also known for her 2014 debut documentary film One Million Dubliners and 2024 Mary Robinson biographical Mrs. Robinson.

Testimony was co-produced in Ireland and the UK with the assistance of UK production company Rocliffe and producer Farah Abushwesha.

The film boasts a majority Irish production team; Producer Rachel Lysaght (Patrick's Day, The Pipe) co-wrote the film with Kelleher.

Eleanor Bowman (Lies We Tell) and Michael Lavelle (Float Like a Butterfly) collaborated as directors of photography.

Sound design was led by Colm O'Meara (Where I Am) and the film was edited by Emer Reynolds (Phil Lynott: Songs for While I'm Away).

English actress Imelda Staunton, whose parents are Irish immigrants from Co. Mayo, narrates the documentary.

Staunton is best known for playing Dolores Umbridge in two films of the Harry Potter franchise in 2007 and 2010, as well as playing Elizabeth II in Netflix historical series The Crown.

Testimony has already won several accolades, including the ICCL Human Rights in Film Award at the Dublin International Film Festival and both the Overall Winner and Human Rights/Social Justice Reporting Award at the Law Society of Ireland Justice Media Awards.

Testimony will be officially released in Irish and UK cinemas on November 21.

Watch the trailer for Testimony below.