We were holding different spaces and community programming all around this idea of coalition building and solidarity.
And thats where Olivia first coined the term cyber doula, which fascinated me.
We had been orbiting each other and had been fans of each others work.
Jazmin Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross in ‘Seeking Mavis Beacon’Jazmin Jones
And her being like, Yes, lets do it.
They didnt compensate her at all, of course.
Can you talk about the importance of entering this space of Black cyber identity?
Jazmin JonesYeelen Cohen
JONES:This is a great multifaceted question.
Im glad that you drew the comparison between Henrietta Lacks.
And that does change something though.
That transaction and exchange of money does acknowledge something, even if its not enough.
And its like, How are we not?
Because I think that contributed largely to her success.
This is so linked.
It just felt like a way of being transparent because we were getting into some ethically murky territory here.
And I hate when I watch a film and, especially, a documentary that pretends to be objective.
And theyre like, Well, theres no version of events.
You know more about her than she will ever know about you.
And thats kind of weird, isnt it?
And I was like, True.
Heres the place that were coming from when were asking these questions.
DEADLINE: What was the most challenging part about making this documentary?
And so theres that agenda.
I know the truth.’
And ultimately, the decision was, well, I dont know.
This isnt a film about me versus the developers.
This is a film about Olivia and I seeking Mavis Beacon.
DEADLINE: How have your opinions changed on technology since youve started and finished the documentary?
JONES:With technology, Ive always been a bit of a conspiracy theorist.
I err more on the side of paranoia than optimism.
So yeah, I think Ive learned more about digital hygiene across the board.
DEADLINE: Was there ever a fear to release the documentary with the ending that it had?
JONES:There have been so many back and forths.
This film has been a six-year ethical spiral.
I think a lot of people see the ending as there being some sort of a lack of resolution.
We truly did not know what would happen when we started making this film.
And there was a degree of naivete around being like, Were going to give her a platform.
And honestly, that whole conundrum of has she been silent or has she been silenced.
We thought that she had been silenced, and we found out otherwise.
DEADLINE: Whats next for the both of you?
