Short documentary film «Alt Shift Life», from the Oscar nominee Laura Checkoway (“Edith+Eddie”) will premiere during the Tribeca Film Festival in June.
The film examines the impact of AI on the modern job market and, rather than evoking fear as some depictions of AI do, it offers a perspective of hope for individuals navigating the competitive landscape. To illustrate this, the film uses the lens of ServiceNow’s RiseUp program which enables diverse talents to obtain career opportunities.
Bringing together stories from India, rural Tennessee and the Bronx, “Alt Shift Life” explores the lives of Sai, Scott and DeVonn, depicting their real-life struggles and promising futures.
Sai is a young woman from a small town in India who moves to India’s Silicon Valley, Bangalore, to pursue a degree in software engineering. Hailing from a community where women are paired up at a young age through arranged marriage and destined for a life dependent on their spouse, Sai breaks with tradition to pursue her dream of independence and equity through education.
Scott is originally from Red Boiling Springs, a town of just over 1,000 people, and was raised by his grandparents. His biological parents had a history of drugs and alcohol, and Scott was born with cerebral palsy as a result of his mother’s difficult pregnancy. Through mentoring and training, he has become a leader in the IT field and is able to give his children a better life than he and his wife could have dreamed of.
DeVonn grew up in the Bronx and Queens with hard-working parents who often had to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. He worked to break the generational cycle of living paycheck to paycheck and having to go without things like hot water and electricity if the bills weren’t paid. He found his gateway into the technology field and now has several career opportunities and the ability to support his wife and young daughter at a high level.
The film is produced by Tribeca Studios and Lief Productions in association with ServiceNow. It will be available for viewing on May 7 at servicenow.com/AltShiftLife.
Checkoway said: “As technology reshapes our lives, this film shows how we can all continually create new chapters and be radically transformed. Sai, Scott and DeVonn embody perseverance and determination, and bring much-needed humanity to the stories around our shared economic future. Working with ServiceNow to tell their stories has been a real joy.
Kate Oppenheim, Executive Vice President of Tribeca Studios, added: “Telling stories that celebrate human potential is very important in times like this. Our films with ServiceNow over the past two years have truly elevated the conversation about how people can use technology to improve real lives, and in doing so put the brand at the heart of the story.
Watch the trailer here:
