Trailer to doc Seeking Mavis Beacon
Neon has released the trailer to Seeking Mavis Beacon, the documentary written and directed by Jazmin Jones.
Produced by Guetty Felin, the film had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film opens at the IFC Center in NY on August 30 and in selected cities (LA, SF & Chicago)on Sept. 6.
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 Jones (Director) and Olivia McKayla Ross (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.