The most recognizable woman in technology lives in our collective imagination. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the software’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY detectives search for the model while posing questions about identity and artificial intelligence.
Seeking Mavis Beacon is a hybrid-documentary that blends myth and memory to uncover the truth behind an unsung hero in Black history: Mavis Beacon. Against the fluorescent industrial landscape of West Oakland, we follow “e-girl detectives” Jazmin (Director) and Olivia (Associate Producer) as they search for Renee L’esperance- the Haitian woman who modeled as the in-game typing instructor in 1987. The software sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, making Mavis Beacon a household name for millennials, however no one ever heard from Renee on the record, who was paid only $500 for her image. Determined to preserve a piece of tech history and recenter Renee’s voice, Jazmin and Olivia use unconventional investigative methods while searching online and across the country. The quest drives the narrative in this neon noir, which integrates interviews and archival internet videos with the duo’s journey. As they come-of-age and come closer to uncovering the truth, Olivia and Jazmin are forced to figure out the limitations of their own morality. The film’s structure descends from fiction to fact, and in the first act we imagine a more nuanced backstory for the character that was originally programmed by white men. The popularity of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing led to a Mandela effect, with people believing they’d seen Mavis on daytime television or winning typing competitions, and some going as far as attempting to book her for speaking engagements. More than thirty years later, many still believe that Mavis Beacon is a real person. Referencing Saidiya Hartman’s concept of critical fabulation and The Watermelon Woman’s reminder that “sometimes you have to create your own history”, the film imagines Mavis Beacon in all her glory. Deepfake archival clips depict Mavis Beacon receiving honors from Barack Obama’s Whitehouse, courtside shoutouts from Naomi Osaka, mentions in Halle Berry’s Oscars acceptance speech. Mavis Beacon is praised by Black storytellers, celebrities, athletes and artists. Icons in their own right legitimize Mavis Beacon’s cultural impact, telling the story of a Black woman role model in early tech that never was.
Credits
Director
Jazmin Renée Jones
Producer
Guetty Felin
Associate Producer and Protagonist
Olivia McKayla Ross
Cinematography
Yeelen Cohen
Additional Cinematography
Owen Smith
Zachary Fink
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Editors
Jon Fine
Jazmin Jones
Yeelen Cohen
Sound
Joakim Cohen
Executive Producers
Tom Quinn
Dan O’Meara
Kate Gondwe
Executive Producer
Charlotte Cook
