REDRUTH’S bid to become UK Town of Culture 2028 will culminate in the public release of a newly commissioned film.

The film, The ‘Druth Is Out There, is a spoken poem in Cornish and English, telling the story of Redruth, from the Tin sparking the Bronze Age, through to becoming the richest square mile in the UK, to post-industrial decline and rebirth through heritage and culture.

It will premiere on St Piran’s Day at The Regal Cinema in Redruth, screening before every film across the day. A dedicated screening will also take place at The Ladder, Clinton Road, Redruth as part of Kernow Kino on Saturday, March 7 at 5.45pm.

Rather than a conventional campaign video, the work is a single authored creative response, a piece of art in its own right. It reflects on Redruth’s landscape, history and cultural inheritance, placing the town’s present moment within a longer lineage of making and performance.

The films is written and performed by Will Coleman, a theatre-maker, author, musician and educational consultant. He was a director and musician with Kneehigh Theatre and is the founder of Golden Tree Productions.

In 2016 he created the Man Engine, a 40 foot mechanical puppet built to mark Cornwall’s mining history and diaspora, which toured extensively and brought national attention to Cornwall’s UNESCO World Heritage status.

His work continues to centre Cornish culture, language and landscape through large scale projects such as Kerdroya and through the Go Cornish programme in primary schools.

The release of the film marks the final public moment in Redruth’s Town of Culture campaign phase. The bid, led by Redruth Town Council, Redruth Cultural Consortium and The Ladder, proposes a £3.5-million cultural programme for Spring and Summer 2028 if successful.

Joshua Nawras of The Ladder - who are partnered with Redruth Town Council on the 2028 bid said: “We wanted the final word in this phase of the bid to come from an artist rooted in Cornwall. This film is a cultural statement. It speaks to where Redruth comes from and why that story matters now.”