Premise
Phase is a coming-of-age sci-fi feature film about a young pregnant woman named Ursula, who unexpectedly loses the stability of docked life. Ejected from Alexandria, a pioneering scientific space station that engineered the mass evacuation of the Earth, Ursula begins a search for the father of her unborn baby. Her journey soon leads her into the desperate choices of another cast off, Noah. Alone and together, they are forced to deal with the decisions that have brought them to this point including the tragic lasting memory of Ursula’s late mother.
Setting
PHASE takes place in a reality where earth was prematurely evacuated during the 1980s with both the Pharos pod and Alexandria Space Station barely developing beyond their 1970s designs. The Pharos pods are the oldest surviving spacecrafts created by Parkhill Data Systems for their initial research programme and are barely seen beyond the docks of the Alexandria.
The pioneering research station of the Alexandria was founded with the intention of understanding how to sustain life above before earth’s climate could become inhospitable. Parkhill Data Systems’ project goals have since moved on to more commercial ventures and so scientists like Ursula’s mother, Phoebe, were left with very little hope.
It is on board one of these Pharos pods Ursula was born, living her life solely in the depths of space.
Characters
Ursula
Born aboard the Alexandria a few years after the mass evacuation of the Earth, Ursula Kroeber is the only child of Phoebe Kroeber. Ursula lives day to day dealing in unauthorised trades, deals and petty theft aboard the Alexandria, until she is inexplicably caught by station security.
Despite being well-liked, and having never left Alexandria, her fiery and combative nature is finally enough to see her ejected from the station as punishment, and she is forced to find accommodation elsewhere.
Ursula Kroeber is played by the up-and-coming Rhiannon Bell, a recent graduate from East 15 Acting School. Rhiannon has performed in multiple stage plays but this will be her debut feature. Her naturalistic performance style lends itself to the intense and solitary nature of her character.
Phoebe
A pioneer and original member of Parkhill Data Systems’ space station, Alexandria, Phoebe Kroeber was a specialist tasked with the preparation of accommodating and sustaining life in space amidst an impending mass evacuation of the Earth. Her vibrancy and passion for exploration and survival beyond Earth was unparalleled.
However, due to an unexpected and premature evacuation date launch, Phoebe found herself stuck on board the station and struggled to transition to living in the very pods she helped design.
The role of Phoebe Kroeber is played by Ellen Brooke Williams, an actor who transforms on screen. Ellen has been in multiple feature and short films including THE LADY FROM THE SEA an adaptation of the play by Henrik Ibsen.
Noah
One of the last humans to successfully evacuate Earth, Noah Moberg is an engineer aboard one of the many stations that houses the last of humanity. He lives his life thankful to be alive yet struggles with the close quarters living of space.
Noah Moberg is played by Nick Cornwall, an actor from the Northwest of England who has starred in award-winning shorts such as CULLING and features in mainstream titles including Amazon Prime’s ABSENTIA, Sky Original’s DEVILS and THE SISTERS BROTHERS. Nick has a formidable presence on screen and an incredibly layered performance style that brings out the depth of Noah's character.