Seeking Mavis Beacon Searches for an Icon of Black Representation in Technology

By Lucy Spicer

Did you think Mavis Beacon was a real person?

This is a question that pervades Jazmin Ren e Jones' feature directorial debut, Seeking Mavis Beacon, which premiered January 20 at the Library Center Theatre in Park City, Utah. Mavis Beacon isn't a real person, but to some, she might as well be. The fictional character was the face of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing - computer software designed to teach touch typing, first released in the late '80s - and she became an unlikely icon for representation of Black women in technology.

The documentary, which screens in the NEXT section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, addresses this Mandela effect that has people swearing they recall Mavis Beacon winning typing contests or being presented with awards. What was so compelling about this woman that her character caused people to misremember history?

Jones and her associate producer and friend, Olivia McKayla Ross, take up the roles of amateur investigators as they embark on a search for the real-life woman, a Haitian-born model named Ren e L'Esp rance, behind the software cover. No one interviewed has heard from L'Esp rance in decades, but Jones wants the opportunity to express to her how formative her image was to so many kids growing up. Along the way, Jones and Ross encounter questions about residuals, Black women in service roles, digital privacy, and more.

The documentary is just as much about Jones' and Ross' investigative process and self-reflection as it is about the actual search for L'Esp rance. This film was five years in the making, says Jones at the documentary's post-premiere Q&A. I definitely don't think we knew this was gonna take five years. I'm glad we didn't know that. I don't know if I would've had as easy of a time convincing Olivia to join me in this endeavor, let alone any of the people involved.

LINK:	https://www.sundance.org/blogs/seeking-mavis-beacon-searches-for-an-ic...
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