The Lost Children of Tuam wins Best Irish Film at Galway Film Fleadh

Frank Berry's The Lost Children of Tuam has won the Best Irish Film award at the 38th Galway Film Fleadh.

Produced by Liam Neeson and directed by Berry, the film tells the story of historian Catherine Corless and her campaign to uncover the truth about the Tuam Mother and Baby Home, where the remains of 796 infants and young children were discovered in unmarked graves. It is based on Dan Barry's 2017 New York Times article of the same name.

Beyond the Best Irish Film prize, Rebekah Fortune's Galway-shot coming-of-age drama Learning to Breathe Underwater received the Audience Award after earning the highest audience score of this year's programme.

The Galway Film Fleadh also honoured Dallan Shovlin's You'll Never Believe Who's Dead as Best Irish First Feature, while Try and The S.U. shared the award for Best Irish Feature Documentary.

"We experienced record attendances across both the festival and the Galway Film Fair, with audiences embracing Irish and international cinema in remarkable numbers," said festival director Miriam Allen.

"The calibre of filmmaking on display this year has been exceptional, and we'd like to congratulate all of our award winners and everyone who shared their work with audiences in Galway."

The six-day Galway Film Fleadh concluded on Sunday July 12, bringing together filmmakers and audiences for a programme of Irish and international cinema.