Project Detail

On the Line

Synopsis

Alderney, UK. 1964. Agnes, 24 works alone as a switchboard operator in a telephone exchange. While going about her daily business connecting people, she passes the time listening in to their conversations. One day, she receives a strange call from Shirley, a woman suffering from dementia and unable to clearly articulate what is happening around her. There’s a blood curdling scream and the line is cut. Extremely worried, Agnes calls the police.
Over time, Agnes gleans information from other callers, piecing together what has happened and comes to believe Martha, a nurse at the care home, has been kidnapped by Harold, a workman there. Agnes uses her powers of deduction and local knowledge to help the police track the abduction. But things take a turn for the worse when she realises everything is not as it seems. Eventually, the police locate Martha but not Harold. He has returned home to take his own life. With new information, Agnes calls and talks him down by sharing her experiences. Her day ends with both Harold and Agnes having new hope for the future.

Details

Year
2023
Type of project
Features
Running time
74 min
Director
Oliver Pearn 1st Feature
Producer
Oliver Pearn
Executive Producer
Nicola Quilter
Editor
Harry Baker
Screenwriter
Oliver Pearn
Director of Photography
Jonathan Nicol
Production Designer
Stella Mitchell
Sound
Christian Curtis
Composer
Matthew Collings
Principal cast
Victoria Lucie, Harriet Walter, Royce Pierreson

Genre

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

QLALO Films Limited

The Limes
1339 High Road
London
N20 9HR

Sales Company

Movie House Entertainment

Black Hangar Studios
Lasham Airfield
Alton
Hampshire
GU34 5SG

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Savage House Savage House

Director: Peter Glanz

Year: 2026

England, 18th Century. The Savages are at their lowest: they despise each other, their house is falling apart, and they are disliked in polite society - sleeping with their servants, and selling off jewellery to keep their gambling and drinking going. Oh, and Chauncey Savage’s foot might be rotting off. This is until they are set to be visited by higher ranking nobleman. The honour gives them a renewed energy to get new outfits, polish their silver, and hire new help to make sure the House of Savage is looking as impressive as possible. Official Selection SXSW London 2026

A young man stares forward, surrounded by darkness, with some passing by distorting one side of his face Fair

Director: Benjamin Turner

Year: 2027

A group of teenage boys become entangled in a series of escalating "games" built around a single rule: don’t flinch. What begins as playful competition gradually shifts into something more controlled, more psychological, and more dangerous. As the boundaries blur, each boy is forced to navigate power, performance, and the pressure to appear unbreakable. FAIR explores how identity is shaped under pressure, and what it takes to hold your ground in a world where showing weakness isn’t an option.

A Shot in the Dark A Shot in the Dark

Director: Jed Lilley

Year: 2026

In the rolling hills of Wirksworth, Derbyshire, local filmmaker Jed Lilley follows a speciality coffee roaster as she attempts to establish Britain's first coffee plantation. What could possibly go wrong?