An Emergency Services Operator in a Fire Control Room has just started a long night shift when she picks up a call from a desperate young mother. An hour previously, Gemma had fallen asleep in front of the television and has now woken to find the room full of smoke. Her three year old son is trapped in his bedroom upstairs. Flames have started to creep down the stairs that Gemma must use in order to reach him. The operator’s guidance is all that Gemma can rely on in order to survive.
Acting
Kate Dickie's voice carries entire worlds of dread.
Sound
The smoke alarm becomes a character. You'll never unhear it.
Director
Caroline Bartleet
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Caroline Bartleet based this on real emergency calls—every hesitation, every protocol-break is documented behavior from actual operators.
The film was shot in a single day in an actual decommissioned fire station, with Kate Dickie performing her scenes opposite a real emergency call handler feeding lines off-camera.
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