Farm Street Film Club presents What Lucy Saw

What Lucy Saw is being screened at the Tim Hetherington Film Club in the Arrupe Hall, 114 Mount St W1K 3AH 6.30pm for 7pm on tonight.

There will be an introduction by Julian Filochowski. This important film tells the true story of Lucia Cerna, a woman who witnessed the assassination of six Jesuits, their cook, and a teenage girl, by the Salvadorian army in 1989.

The murders took place on the campus of the Central American University and shocked the world. Lucia, who worked as the Jesuits' housekeeper, was the only eyewitness and the film is based on her account of what happened.

The Jesuits had publicly opposed US support for the corrupt government in El Salvador and the military, which were known for kidnapping, torturing, and killing innocent civilians. The priests often ministered to the rural poor who were caught up in the conflict. For this, they were accused of being communists and supporting rebel groups. This was the reason they were targeted.

After the massacre, Lucia fled the country and made her way to Miami under the protection of the Jesuits, where she was pressured into changing her story by the FBI. She never did. Of the nine men accused of the murders, only two were ever convicted. Jesuits in El Salvador continue to campaign for all the facts to come to light and continue to call for all those responsible to be brought to justice.

Spanish director, Imanol Uribe, in an interview with Variety magazine said: "I was affected deeply when the massacre took place and it is something that has always stayed with me."

Fr Damian Howard SJ, Jesuit Provincial Superior said: "This powerful film transports you back to the world of the 1980s and shows what a radical following of the Gospel looks like in a context of injustice and oppression. Lucia's story makes us ask ourselves what it means to follow Christ with equal commitment and generosity in the very different world we live in today."

Cost: free - with drinks and refreshments (donations welcome). Booking invited (but not necessary) at dthurst52@gmail.com