Documentary tracks down the story of Mavis Beacon
It’s a documentary about the search for the Haitian woman who was featured on the application software program designed to teach touch typing. Back in 1987, “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing” was a classroom staple, especially for ’90s kids who learned how to type through the software that sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, making Mavis Beacon a household name for millennials.
The woman whose face graced the cover of the program’s boxes was Renée L’Espérance, a Haitian-born woman who was discovered while working at a department store counter. A trailblazer for Black women in her field, many believe that Mavis Beacon is a real person of cultural significance, but no one had ever heard from Renée who was paid only $500 for her image.
Determined to preserve a piece of tech history, Jazmin Jones (Director) and Olivia McKayla Ross (Associate Producer) made the documentary using unconventional investigative methods while searching online and across the country for Renée. It’s a quest which drives the narrative in this insightful documentary which juxtaposes interviews and archival internet videos with the duo’s journey.
What becomes a playful race to find Renée after receiving a lead that she had returned to Haiti becomes an eye-opening piece on identity and artificial intelligence. Along the way, they uncover truths about the impact of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and discover how Renée was treated by the game’s developers, and that she sued the company for misusing her image back in 1999.
Straddling truth and imagination, it’s a film that uplifts the legacy of an unsung Black historical figure.
With a run time: 102 min “Seeking Mavis Beacon” is out in theaters.
Check out the trailer:
By Samantha Ofole-Prince/ Photos courtesy of Neon Pictures
