The story of the amateur historian whose research helped uncover the Tuam babies scandal is being brought to the big screen, with the help of actor Liam Neeson.

The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home institution for unmarried mothers and their children was in operation from 1925 until 1961.

It came to international attention in 2014, after local historian Catherine Corless discovered there were 796 death certificates for children and babies who died there, but no burial records.

A 2017 article in the New York Times about Corless' journey left Neeson in a "quiet rage", he told RTÉ's Late Late Show, prompting him to use his standing in the film industry to bring the story to life, and be a co-producer.

"I thought if my standing in the film business is anything at all I'd love this to become a film so more people could see it and we could share this atrocity," Neeson said.

From there, Corless said she received a call from the New York Times writer Dan Barry, who said: "Listen, Liam Neeson may be giving you a call and he'd like to speak to you and get permission to do the film."

Nine years later, the film - The Lost Children of Tuam - is now in cinemas.

The film tells of the story of how Corless began researching a former institution for unmarried mothers and their children in Tuam, County Galway, and uncovers the hidden history of neglect and loss.

It examines how Corless was faced with the silence of church and state as she embarked on a campaign for justice.

"The way the film is done, it's just true to life," Corless told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, describing it as "fantastic".

Corless said the film's director, Frank Berry, "really wanted" the film "to be true and they stuck to the truth".

"It shows the diversity between people in power and ordinary people like myself struggling to get a story out there that I knew was true, I had all the evidence," she said.

A team is currently excavating the site of the former institution. In June, it was reported that they had found a further eight sets of infant remains, bringing the total number recovered to 77.

"I really had to fight for it to come to this stage, not for the film exactly, also the excavation in Tuam is going ahead and the exhumation. I fought years with the denial from authorities that anything wrong happened," Corless said.

"It's something I had to keep working on and that's portrayed very, very well in the film."

Catherine Corless is played by English actor Monica Dolan in the film.

Corless noted that Dolan had to develop a Galway accent for the role, which she said the actress did "very well".

"She wanted to actually become me, to get into the knitty gritty of the efforts that I had to put in," Corless said of Dolan.

"She portrayed me just as myself. I was amazed at what she was able to do," she said.

"She went to the extremes, really, to get the feeling and the emotion I went through and the struggle."

Corless added: "She did it so, so well, I must say that, she really did."

The Lost Children of Tuam opened in cinemas in Ireland on 25 September and it is scheduled for UK release on 9 October.