Seeking Mavis Beacon
| Seeking Mavis Beacon | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Jazmin Jones |
| Written by | Jazmin Jones |
| Produced by | Guetty Felin |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Yeelen Cohen |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Fatima Al Qadiri |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Neon |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $52,897[1][2] |
Seeking Mavis Beacon is a 2024 American documentary film directed by Jazmin Jones,[3] which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[4] The film is distributed by Neon[5] and is Jones' directorial debut.[3]
Premise
[edit]The film follows Jazmin Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross on their search to find Renée L'Esperance, the Haitian model[6] for Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, an educational software program developed in the 1980s.[7]
Cast
[edit]- Jazmin Renée Jones
- Olivia McKayla Ross
Production
[edit]Seeking Mavis Beacon was produced by filmmaker Guetty Felin and Neon,[8] in association with Field of Vision. The film was also associate produced by Olivia McKayla Ross.[8]
Release
[edit]The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the NEXT category.[9] The film was released by Neon on August 30, 2024.
Critical reception
[edit]Initial reception was generally positive.[6][10] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 44 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Director Jazmin Jones' exploration of one of the internet's strangest cases occasionally lapses into self-indulgence, but the personalized approach ultimately yields a one-of-a-kind documentary experience."[11] Metacritic calculated a weighted average of 72 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]
Murtada Elfadl of Variety wrote that the "format-defying" documentary was "affecting and haunting,"[13] noting that the filmmaker explores "a range of philosophical and sociological considerations, from the notion of 'coded bias' to how they personally use technology to communicate and find community."[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Seeking Mavis Beacon". The Numbers. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Seeking Mavis Beacon". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "'Seeking Mavis Beacon' Director Jazmin Renee Jones And Olivia McKayla Ross Undertake A Quest To Find An Unsung Cultural Icon — Sundance Studio". Deadline. 2024-01-26. Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Sippell, Margeaux (2024-01-26). "Seeking Mavis Beacon: Jazmin Jones on the Ethics of Her Incredibly Meta Doc". MovieMaker. Archived from the original on 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (2024-01-23). "'Seeking Mavis Beacon' Review: An Enlightening Debut Doc Dives Into the Past to Ponder the Digital Future". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ a b Hardawar, Devindra (2024-01-27). "Seeking Mavis Beacon is a wild Sundance doc about the search for a lost tech icon". Engadget. Archived from the original on 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Piñon, Natasha (2021-10-10). "She taught a generation to type. But who is the real Mavis Beacon?". Mashable. Archived from the original on 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (2022-02-24). "'Seeking Mavis Beacon' Documentary in the Works at Neon". Variety. Archived from the original on 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ Spicer, Lucy (2024-01-21). ""Seeking Mavis Beacon" Searches for an Icon of Black Representation in Technology". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ^ Slater, Shane (2024-01-27). "Sundance Film Festival Review: 'Seeking Mavis Beacon' is a Fascinating Detective Story". Awards Radar. Archived from the original on 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ "Seeking Mavis Beacon". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
- ^ "Seeking Mavis Beacon". Metacritic. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ a b Elfadl, Murtada (2024-01-21). "'Seeking Mavis Beacon' Review: Thoughtful Doc Pursues an Elusive Black Icon". Variety. Archived from the original on 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-27.