Described as "the most terrible barbarity of the contemporary world" by Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and as "one of the most terrible experiences of dehumanisation our era has known" by historian François Furet, the story focuses on the life of Herman, a young man who goes from being a victim to one of the most formidable torturers of the communist regime.

The film was a voluntary effort developed over a decade and produced by a dedicated young team with strong ties to Queen's University, Belfast. Director Victoria Baltag is a PhD student in Film at QUB, sound editor and mixer Miguel Ortiz is a lecturer in Design and Prototyping, and the film's composer, Matt Geer, is a PhD graduate. Notably, Baltag spent over 12 years on the project and is the first independent director to create a feature film about the Pitești phenomenon. It also features the final appearance of renowned actor Ion Caramitru (Mission: Impossible).

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Victoria Baltag and sound editor Miguel Ortiz.

Content advice: this film contains dramatised scenes of torture which some viewers may find distressing. Strictly over 18s only.