Codegirl documentary available to watch online for free this week on YouTube
David Farnor | On 04, Nov 2015
New documentary Codegirl is available to watch online for free this week, thanks to a special premiere on YouTube.
The film, from director Lesley Chilcott, aims to close the gender gap that is rife in the technology world – an ambition that has won the movie support from Al Gore on social media, but also (crucially) free distribution on YouTube. Susan Wojcicki, CEO of the streaming site, announced on Sunday that the site would host the documentary for free streaming worldwide until the end of 5th November. The free, five-day VOD premiere arrives ahead of a cinema release in the U, aiming to “inspire as many students as possible”.
Codegirl follows several teams of high-school aged girls who are given three months to design a mobile app that solves a problem in their community – whether that’s in the suburbs of Massachusetts or the countryside of Moldova.
“When it comes to computer science, millions of girls are being left out of the conversation. Despite earning the majority of bachelor’s degrees in the U.S., women earn fewer than 20 percent of computer science degrees, with serious implications for our economy and for women at large,” wrote Wojcicki on the YouTube blog.
“The problem of getting girls more interested in tech has many sources, but according to Google’s own research, one of them is optics. Girls don’t see positive role models of other girls and women in popular culture. In a study of popular films in 11 countries, fewer than 20 percent of computer science or tech roles were held by women.
“As someone who runs a company at the intersection of technology and media, I want to help change the perceptions of women and technology we see today.”
Watch the film here – or, for more information, head to www.codegirlmovie.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enZ82xleZfs