Documentary short “Alt Shift Life,” by Oscar nominee Laura Checkoway (“Edith+Eddie”) will premiere at 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 portrayals of AI do, it provides a perspective of hope for individuals navigating the competitive landscape. To illustrate this the film uses the prism of ServiceNow’s RiseUp program that empowers diverse talents to secure career opportunities.
Weaving together stories from India, rural Tennessee, and the Bronx, “Alt Shift Life” explores the lives of Sai, Scott, and DeVonn, depicting their real-world 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 partnered at an early age through an arranged marriage and destined to a life dependent on a spouse, Sai breaks with tradition to follow her dream of independence and equity through education.
Scott hails from Red Boiling Springs, a town of just over 1000 people, and was raised by 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. Thanks to mentorship and training, he has become a leader in the IT space and is able to give his kids a better life than he and his wife ever could have dreamed of.
DeVonn grew up in the Bronx and Queens with hardworking parents who often had to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. He strived to break the generational cycle of living paycheck to paycheck and having to go without things like hot water and electricity if bills weren’t paid. He found his gateway into the technology arena and now has several career opportunities, and the ability to provide for his wife and young daughter at a high level.
The film is produced by Tribeca Studios and Lief Productions in association with ServiceNow. It can be able to viewed on May 7 at servicenow.com/AltShiftLife.
Checkoway said: “As technology reshapes our lives, this film highlights how we all can continually create new chapters and be radically transformed. Sai, Scott, and DeVonn embody perseverance and purpose, and bring much needed humanity to the narratives around our shared economic future. Working with ServiceNow to tell their stories has been a real joy.”
Kate Oppenheim, executive VP, Tribeca Studios, added: “Telling stories that celebrate human potential is so important in moments like this. Our films with ServiceNow the last two years have authentically elevated the conversation about how people can use technology to improve real lives, and put the brand at the heart of the story in the process.”
Watch the trailer here: