A SHORT movie which highlights claims that Ravenscraig steelworks had an effect on the health of local people is to be turned into a feature film.

Red Dust, by Edinburgh College of Art student Ilona Kacieja, is a 16-minute film looking at the alleged link between Ravenscraig and high numbers of cancer cases in the surrounding housing schemes.

But Ilona, originally from Poland, was so moved by the process of making the film that she intends to turn it into a feature-length movie.

The short version of Red Dust had its premiere at Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) and was attended by some of the North Lanarkshire locals who were interviewed for the film.

Also at the premiere were Des Collins and Dani Holliday of law firm Collins Solicitors, which is representing former Ravenscraig workers aiming to launch a multi-million pound lawsuit against the steelwork site's former owners.

Gina Rice, who features in the film, is battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The 46-year-old moved to Newarthill, in the shadow of Ravenscraig when she was 16 and later lived in Carfin, where she remembers wiping the red dust which spewed from Ravenscraig from her window sills every day.

Her 20-year-old son is also ill. John Paul was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma when he was 13.

Gina said: "When John Paul was diagnosed, that's when I first started to think about the connection to Ravenscraig.

"He has good spells and bad spells, but it makes it hard for him to work for any length of time. And I also have ups and downs.;

"I thought the film Red Dust was very good and hopefully it gets people asking questions.

"They are building thousands of houses at Ravenscraig and the builders should be told what is buried there."

Mary Ferrie is also interviewed in the film.

The 58-year-old grew up in Craigneuk, at the gates of Ravenscraig.

Her father helped build the plant and also worked there until he retired.

Mary said: "When Ravenscraig closed we were really concerned about the land there and the level of clean-up that was carried out.

"We started a pressure group and got a lot of coverage and support, but eventually it faded away.

"The film will hopefully put it back in the spotlight because the number of cancer cases in the area needs to be closely looked at.

"The workers building the new houses at Ravenscraig and the people buying those homes have a right to know exactly what they are getting involved in."

Filmmaker Ilona said the short version of Red Dust was made to a set brief for her university course.

Now that she has learned more about Ravenscraig, she believes it deserves a more in-depth investigation in a feature film.

She said: "Since they started building homes at Ravenscraig, along with the sports centre and Motherwell College, the cancer rate in the surrounding areas has increased.

"The land there was never properly cleaned up and the film will look at all of these claims."

A trailer for the Red Dust feature film can be viewed online at vimeo.com/36745985

stef.lach@heraldandtimes.co.uk