Abstract

Emergence is a feature-length coming-of-age and science-fiction screenplay set between 2044 and 2059 in Canada and a settlement on Mars. The story follows Nate Ein, a prodigy in computational neuroscience, who loses his mother at a young age. He embarks on a single-minded techno-mythological quest to save his mother from death, and grant immortality to all. His quest forces him into a world of political intrigue and manipulations that leads to him being given the burden of choice for the future of humanity. Nate must confront the trauma that has consumed him, as well as the ramifications of his choices. Emergence deconstructs the tropes of the Heros Journey, and explores the issues of unchecked corporate capitalism, technological development, and artificial intelligence, and themes such as grief, growth, trust, choice, power, and balance. Emergence is meant to provoke collective decision-making on the future of our species.