Liam Neeson Becomes Producer for First Time With Tuam Scandal Drama

Liam Neeson has become a producer for the first time with The Lost Children of Tuam, a drama about the Irish mother-and-baby home scandal. The film, directed by Frank Berry, is now screening in Toronto after its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleidh, according to Variety’s report.

Neeson said he was deeply affected by a 2017 New York Times article by Dan Barry about the County Galway home, where almost 800 infants and children were buried in unmarked graves over several decades until the early 1960s. The article also detailed the work of local historian Catherine Corless, whose research helped bring the story to wider attention.

“I was brought up a Catholic,” Neeson told Variety, describing his response as a mixture of rage and embarrassment. He optioned Barry’s article and brought Berry onto the project, alongside producers including Jules Daly and Element Pictures.

The screenplay was written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, whose credits include She Said. Neeson said Berry’s approach allows the story to unfold without emphasizing the horror, trusting the facts to reveal their impact.

For audiences following major actors’ moves behind the camera, the project marks a significant career change for Neeson. Its subject also places unusual weight on the filmmakers’ treatment of survivors and people affected by religious institutions, a responsibility Berry said shaped the production.