The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, will be screened at the MAC in aid of Freedom from Torture. The film is based on the life story of Eric Lomax who suffered torture at a Japanese POW camp during the Second World War and who later became a patron of Freedom from Torture.

Freedom from Torture is the only UK-based human rights charity solely dedicated to the treatment and care of torture survivors seeking refuge in this country. The charity marks its 30th anniversary this year. In Birmingham, Freedom from Torture currently helps adults, children and families from countries including Sri Lanka, Iran, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Freedom from Torture’s Birmingham treatment centre opened in the Jewellery Quarter in 2009 and provides psychological therapy as well as medical, legal and practical support for survivors of torture. Clients of the charity are typically asylum seekers and refugees who have fled their countries, communities and families due to persecution and sought protection in the UK.

There will be an introduction by Amy Porter from the Freedom from Torture West Midlands centre. Local volunteer Meg Keane said “the film highlights the fact that torture can happen to anybody, with incredibly damaging physical and psychological consequences”.

Tickets for the screening cost £7.50 (£5.50 concessions) and are available from the MAC box office, on their website www.macbirmingham.co.uk or 0121 446 3232.

For more information about the event or about Freedom from Torture visit www.freedomfromtorture.org