Vicky Phelan documentary set to open film festival

The film will be released next month.

A documentary about Irish health advocate Vicky Phelan will open IndieCork, an independent arts festival held in Cork City. The film, which is titled Vicky, is directed by Sasha King, and according to its synopsis, it offers a "profound and intimate journey into not only (Vicky's) fight to expose the truth of what happened for all women but also her own personal fight to stay alive". IndieCork opens at the Gate Cinema in Cork on 2 October, with a screening of Vicky, before the film's general release in cinemas across Ireland on 7 October. Tickets for the premiere can be bought on the Gate Cinema's website, right here, and you can watch the trailer below. Vicky Phelan was one of the women who was impacted by the CervicalCheck scandal. She underwent a smear test in 2011 which showed she had no abnormalities, but she was subsequently diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014. Her initial CervicalCheck was incorrect, but she wasn't informed about this until years later. In 2018, she settled her High Court case against US lab Quest Diagnostics over the false positive result for €2.5 million. At the time, she told the court: "I was in shock when I was told. I am angry, extremely angry. If I was diagnosed I probably would have had to have a procedure and at worse a hysterectomy. "If I was told sooner, I would not be in a position of a terminal cancer diagnosis." Since her diagnosis, Vicky has been an advocate for women who have been affected by the scandal. She has also been undergoing treatment for her cancer. Last year, she announced that she has stopped her treatment and has been receiving palliative care ever since. For more information on the film Vicky, head to the official website right here.