When medicine had nothing left to give, phages offered hope. This short film captures Steffanie Strathdee’s extraordinary story and calls for urgent action in the UK.

The Citizen Phage Library, based at the University of Exeter, is pioneering research into bacteriophages—viruses that specifically target and kill bacteria. With antimicrobial resistance projected to cause more deaths by 2050 than cancer or diabetes, phage therapy offers one possible lifeline. The Library’s mission is to expand public understanding, drive research, and push for compassionate use access in the UK.

Dr Ben Temperton, leading the Citizen Phage Library, approached us with a challenge. How do you turn an hour-long conversation filled with complex science into a message that resonates with MPs, Peers, and the public? The video needed to explain the urgency of antimicrobial resistance, the potential of phages, and the human stakes. All this without overwhelming the audience with technical detail.

We distilled a packed 60-minute briefing into one compelling story. Ditching the language of the laboratory and using everyday language. Telling the story in Steffanie Strathdee’s own words. Steffanie’s husband survived a deadly superbug infection through phage therapy, sparking a global movement. By centring on her personal account. The moment when hope returned after modern medicine failed. We created a narrative that combined emotional weight with scientific clarity. We also advised that this film form part of a wider campaign. We gave them the slogan “Let’s Unlock the Power of Phage Therapy for Compassionate Use,” designed to raise awareness and influence policymakers.

The result is a short, powerful film that bridges science and storytelling. It highlights the scale of the antimicrobial resistance crisis while showing a human solution through Steffanie’s lived experience. Screened in April 2025 at the Houses of Parliament, the video formed part of a campaign that is already helping to shift the conversation about phage therapy in the UK.